


Unexpected

by bloody_empress24



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alpha Seto, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Bonding, Courtship, Hint of peachshipping, Marking, Mating, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Scent Marking, Scenting, Slice of Life, post-dsod
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2020-11-02 03:58:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20614694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloody_empress24/pseuds/bloody_empress24
Summary: Maybe he was none of them. Alpha, omega, beta…none.For someone like him to be a blank slate in that kind of society made him somewhat lonely and out of place…Which nagged at him so badly, because Atem was terribly hopeful. Hopeful that he would present—and that presenting would make him feel a sense of belongingness to stand beside one of the most respected alphas in his life.A/N: A [post-DSOD] Omegaverse AU fic for good feels.





	1. Late Bloomer Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first prideship fic that has been stewing in my mind for ages. Finally, I got to write this to sate my thirst (and my constant plot bunnies). Thank you for taking an interest in this story!

Atem blinked awake. 

Then he rubbed his eyes again before opening them.

The sight of the familiar ceiling of the Mutuo guest room he was staying in still seemed so surreal to him. He was supposed to be dead—and yet the feel of the early morning chill through his open window told him that everything was real.

_Home. His second home._

Atem had to laugh—and his friends would definitely think the alpha CEO was crazy. Seto Kaiba possessed so much _rivalry _and _challenge _against him he bent the very rules of nature just to duel him again—and had the audacity to make him promise—to make him a _pact_—to return with him to the current world if he lost to him in a duel. 

_ You lost. Fulfill your end of the bargain and come back with me. _

It was supposedly impossible. Atem knew his destiny was to move on to Aaru—and yet Kaiba seemed to make things go his way…The pharaoh could not explain it. To think they succeeded—bringing him back from literal _death_…

_There are forces in the universe that cannot be explained,_ Atem thought. _I myself do not possess the knowledge to everything. Even the powerful magic that circulates in Aaru…_

Apparently, there was still enough ‘magic’ to let him live one more lifetime in the mortal plane. His head would simply hurt thinking about the ways why and how it happened. He only remembered Kaiba’s dismissive attitude about the whole thing. 

_You deserve it, my King, _Mahaado had told him. _What’s a mere century to wait? And by your return, we hope Seto Kaiba finally stays with us._

_ Hrrmph, whatever, _Atem remembered his alpha rival scoffing. Frankly, he felt elated and excited with the prospect of seeing his old friends again—not that he did not miss being a pharaoh of a bustling kingdom; but after being locked inside the millennium puzzle for thousands of years—just being himself out in the world—in his youth—making friends and living a ‘normal’ life—brought him unparalleled joy. 

It’s been more than a year of him living in the mortal world. Despite the conundrums of adjusting to his new lifestyle, Atem was slowly getting used to everything. Kaiba went ahead and got him an ‘official identity’ under the name of Atem Mutuo (they did not bother to know how he managed to do it—he’s Seto Kaiba after all) and now he’s a legitimate citizen—working as a game consultant and adviser to the CEO of KaibaCorp himself. Yugi, too, had Kaiba’s [begrudging] offer once he would have graduated from the university. Atem would not have it if his [now distant relative] did not go in the same workplace as him. It was Yugi’s dream to create games.

And to be with Tea, of course.

Atem did not expect that his young _aibou_ would bond so early. It all seemed so bittersweet—after all, Tea would be far away most of the time. _I’d go to her, if the need arises, _Yugi exclaimed, and Atem was so proud of his friend. _It must be the alpha in him as well,_ the pharaoh thought happily.

It seemed perfectly fine—except, well, he had his own insecurities, too.

After Yugi and Tea had bonded, Atem was left to dwell on his own misgivings. After his return to Domino City, and even spending a whole year getting used to his change in lifestyle, he _never _presented. He had yet to determine his _own_ dynamic.

Back in Egypt thousands of years ago, Atem had sacrificed himself to ward off evil—and in turn, wasn’t able to present then. He died not knowing what his secondary gender was. His father was an alpha, his uncle and his high priest Set had been as well. Even Kaiba assumed he was an alpha too (since he shared a body with Yugi before)! Except now, well, his subtle scent (which was almost close to none) was still indeterminable. He was not even capable of releasing any pheromones. At first Atem thought himself to be a beta, but betas only had a certain age limit for presenting and Atem was way past that age line. Plus, they too, had their own distinct scents.

Maybe he was none of them. Alpha, omega, beta…none.

For someone like him to be a blank slate in that kind of society made him somewhat lonely and out of place…

Which nagged at him so badly, because Atem was terribly hopeful.

Hopeful that he would present—and that presenting would make him feel a sense of belongingness to stand beside one of the most respected alphas in his life—

Despite lacking a scent himself, at least he could point out the qualities of his friends’ scents—and by far, Yugi and Seto appealed to him the most. Maybe it was because of their strong spirit and wills. Their hard-headedness and passion. Their sense of justice and conviction. There were countless more positive qualities, but since Yugi had already claimed himself a mate, Atem’s attention became focused more on Kaiba.

Kaiba’s scent was akin to power. A sharp tang of something maybe of storms—of heady musk—and much to Atem’s curiosity, his scent reminded him of the ground after it rained—which always calmed him whenever he remembered the blessed rains back in Egypt.

Atem did not know when his growing attraction for one Seto Kaiba began—but the slow, bubbling feeling every time he thought of him, or at least interacted with him at work was a constant struggle. At such times, he was thankful that he never presented, or else he would most probably exhibit his deepest, darkest feelings in a mere puff of pheromones. Like how everyone would tease Joey for not being able to control his emotions and scent (although nowadays, with Mai’s help he was getting even better).

He wondered how he would fare if he ever did present.

_As if,_ Atem thought miserably, turning over in his bed. _There’s only so much the world can provide. I must be thankful I am here and living. _

Sleep could not come to him anymore despite it only being 2 o’clock in the morning. It was the fourth time in a row of sleepless nights. Atem was glad his work in KaibaCorp only required him to report physically to the office whenever there was a project to be pitched, a new game testing, or when Kaiba needed his opinion about something. If not, the alpha would just email him briefs he needed to read and comment about. Thank Ra for Tristan and Duke helping him learn about computers and technology.

Atem slowly sat up on his bed and leaned on his bedframe. His skin felt a little feverish from the insomnia, but at least he had something to look forward to today.

It’s the usual monthly game weekend, and Mokuba’s visiting. Which meant Seto would come too, at the end of the day. He always did.

Atem smiled as he stared at the cloudless night sky. His fingers tingled at the thought.

He would see him again.

***

Seto Kaiba rarely ever panicked. 

He was a man of science—of plans—of systematic methods. He knew what to expect—what solutions to make—how to be resourceful when the situation screwed up midway—

But with _this. _

_This specific situation._

Seto Kaiba was definitely and indefatigably _clueless. Blanked. Flabbergasted. _

He was caught in a haze—an irresistible scent of something sickeningly sweet, spicy, and seemingly, for him, quite _homely—_which was quickly enveloping him—filling him up like drink. He licked his swiftly drying lips. Where was he again? How did he come by this situation? His mind was becoming muddled—and there was only one thing in his mind at that point—and that was of the man he was holding in his arms…

_ Hours earlier--_

Seto was supposed to be picking up his younger brother Mokuba from a board game weekend [with those losers] at the Mutou game shop. It had already been almost more than a year and a half after he had pulled Atem from Aaru. Life went back to normal for him after that: work was hell, duels still rampant, but Seto Kaiba always spared time with family—despite questioning the likes of those _losers_ Mokuba called his friends (“But they’re your friends too, Seto!” Mokuba would scoff at his older brother every time). 

Well, there was only one person Seto would tolerate in their bunch (or two, if he would count the smaller Yugi Mutou)—and he did risk death a second time for _him_ anyway. 

_Yami._

The pharaoh, _Atem_.

If there was a word to describe everything that had happened in the beyond, ‘complicated’ or ‘impossible’ would definitely come to mind. The gods had allowed one more lifetime to live for the esteemed, original King of Games—much to Seto’s gloating triumph, of course. The alpha in him roared in approval at managing to achieve such a feat—with which no normal person would ever try to do. 

At that point in time, Seto proved to himself how far he could stretch his limits to get what he wanted. _To get his rival back._ Atem was the only one worthy of his genius—of his skills and his efforts. No one in that world would ever challenge him like the pharaoh did. 

And no one made him so _curious_ like Atem did. 

With a separate corporeal form, Atem was finally distinguishable from his almost-twin Yugi by leagues (apart from his physical attributes, of course). Seto could now isolate Yugi’s own alpha scents from Atem’s (as compared to when they were still switching between one body during duels). The question that the CEO had of Yugi’s indeterminable dynamic before was now answered. It was Atem’s unique scent that was mixing with Yugi’s back then, thus confusing him, thinking they were just one person. 

At least, Seto was certain that the smaller man was an alpha like him [who he never expected to sprout some guts and went ahead to get bonded with that brown-haired dancer girl he kept forgetting the name of]. _But who cares._

He could still not fathom the pharaoh’s, though. And it irked him so much that despite pulling him back from literal death, and watching him live a normal life for already a year, Seto never managed to determine his dynamic. 

Not until now that was. 

The predicament he was in. 

Seto had no bloody idea. 

If only Mokuba did not call him and ask him to pick up some food before he dropped by at the game shop, Seto wouldn’t bump into _him._ Atem. At a random fruit stall along the way. The pharaoh had offered to walk with Seto back to the game shop. After all, they were going to the same direction—and with the apparent road fixtures near the game shop, Atem had immediately declined the CEO’s suggestion of going back to his car. 

“Why are you outside? Aren’t you supposed to be with them, playing games?” Seto had asked then.

The pharaoh could only chuckle, the light of the afternoon sun lighting the tips of his golden fringes. “Joey and Tristan had had enough of me making them ‘broke’ at a certain game of economics, I believe. And since we are all getting a bit peckish, I suggested to go out and buy some fruit for everyone.” 

“_Monopoly._”

“Ah, yes, that’s the one.”

They had shared a quiet stroll back to the game shop, exchanging words here and there. Atem had been quite talkative at that point—waving his arms in jovial gestures of all the modern things he learned while living with the Mutos. Seto could not help but notice an unusual tingling under his skin as the pharaoh got closer to his proximity. He might just be excited, but there was also a telltale flush on Atem’s tanned skin. The young CEO had assumed it’s only because of the sunset’s rays reflecting on him.

“I am glad you visited,” came the pharaoh’s soft remark as they had stopped in front of the game shop, causing Kaiba to raise his eyebrows. “You rarely come by anymore.”

“Hn. I was busy.” _Curious. _Atem was always making him curious. Why would he remark about that? 

“Indeed, and yet,” Slender fingers clenched tighter around the takeaways he had bought. “Here you are.” His magenta eyes were cast down, rather shyly—and quite unlike him—as Seto observed at that point. _His eyelashes are ridiculously long,_ the CEO thought. _I should have adjusted the Solid Vision model of him more back then—_

“Kaiba.”

Seto stilled from his thoughts. He adjusted his stare back down at the pharaoh, his reddish eyes meeting up at him in wonder. For some reason, the scent billowing around Atem was only getting stronger—and Seto fought the urge to take in lungfuls of it in front of him.

“May I ask you something?”

The alpha had only grunted. 

“Do you think…dynamics should—“ Atem had begun, “—you reckon, dictate everything in a relationship?”

“W-Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?!” Blue eyes widened nervously underneath brown fringes. _Of all people to ask stuff about relationships and dynamics, why him?_ He should just ask Wheeler or Yugi about those! Atem had laughed impishly at his reaction. It’s not every day he would have caught the CEO off-guard outside of duels. But he calmed down a bit after, and reached out to tug at the edge of the alpha’s cufflink. 

“Just answer the question,” came the unusually quiet reply. 

The scent continued to grow stronger and it was as if it was nudging him—forcing him to answer. Kaiba opened and closed his mouth a couple of times—looking for the proper words. He tried not to look directly to the pharaoh’s eyes, but he struggled pathetically. Those huge magenta eyes pleaded up to him softly. 

Ignoring the fact that Atem looked like he was now burning flushed under the afternoon sun, Kaiba took a steadying breath and rambled. “T-There are a lot of things that affect a relationship. Dynamics should _not_ dictate of how things go in one. Not all alphas mate with omegas, betas with betas, et cetera.”

“So, as long you like someone, it doesn’t matter if their dynamics should complement the other, right?” Atem confirmed slowly. 

The alpha huffed irritably. He wasn’t really expecting this sudden change of topic. “I think it should be fine regardless. As if one would give a damn about others would think of it. But why are you even asking me these ridiculous que—“ 

“Would you…be with me?” Atem had cut him off in a low whisper. “Someone like me who has not ascertained their own dynamic?” The air felt thick and heavier now, Kaiba could almost taste the swelling scent coming off of the pharaoh. If there were other people on their street right now, the alpha was sure they would also be enveloped in it.

“Oi—you don’t look good, pharaoh,” Kaiba scrunched his eyebrows at the slow, laborious breaths the smaller man was taking. 

“ANSWER IT,” Atem clung onto both his wrists now—the seldom raise of his voice surprising Seto. 

“Pharaoh—“

“Call me Atem.”

“Atem—“ 

Seto felt like a deer being caught in headlights—a mix of worry and shock painted on his pale face at the other’s responses. It did not help that the steady stream of Atem’s scent was getting him confused and mind-boggled. 

“Please.”

“I-I—I would. I’d be with you,” Seto gulped. “We are rivals, are we not?” He stared deep into those bright reddish eyes filled with conviction. He had hoped the pharaoh would accept that reply. That was not what he fully meant at all, but it was fine. Probably. It was already getting awkward and he could sense something foreboding behind Atem’s weird behavior. 

The pharaoh had chuckled once more at that. “You never fail to surprise me, Seto Kaiba.” Then the hold on both his wrists loosened, and Seto could only react to his instinct to catch the pharaoh as he suddenly fell faint onto the ground…

“ATEM!”

And thus, there he was. In that exact predicament. 

With Atem huddled in his arms—curled up, whimpering onto his chest—like a kicked puppy. The tips of his multicoloured hair tickling his jaw as he held him. Multiple questions whirled inside his head in a panic.

Why? Why was this happening? How long had Atem been feeling like that? Why didn’t he say anything? What was he supposed to do?

Atem was shaking in his grasp, and giving out some small pained whimpers. He was burning up, too. 

_ Damn it, why didn’t I notice before?_

His loud cry must had reached the people inside the game shop, and at the corner of his eye, Kaiba could see Yugi and the others filing out in alarm.

“Kaiba!”

“_Nii-san!”_

“What happened? _Aibou!_” Yugi cried before he started to run towards the both of them on the pavement. However, he stilled before he could even take more than three paces ahead of him. His nostrils flared, taking in the overwhelming scent. Even Joey, Duke, and Tristan behind him were holding their sleeves up their noses. Kaiba was already giving out a scent of distress and panic and the others who gradually joined were no better either. The heady mix of all their scents were making his nose wrinkle.

“Is he injured?!”

Kaiba knew they merely wanted to help, however at the moment, all he wanted was for him and the pharaoh to be far away as possible. He wanted to keep those concerned eyes and hands away from himself—from Atem. 

_He’s mine._

Seto was horrified at his own thoughts, although his grip never slackened around Atem—who still continued to burrow onto his chest, clutching his top like a lifeline.

“Seto-_niisan_! Is he all right?” Mokuba piped up from the rear of the group. Solomon Mutou held him back though, the dip in his eyebrows showed that he knew what was happening. “Don’t get too close, everyone. Yugi, you should be unaffected by the pheromones since you’re bonded already. Go on and approach them first.”

Yugi walked forward and knelt just across Kaiba, his slouch indicative of a less-threatening behavior towards a fellow alpha. Kaiba’s glare at him was not a good sign. The smaller alpha let out a soothing scent to balance out the atmosphere. A low, possessive growl threatened to come out of Kaiba’s throat as Yugi reached for Atem, but he shook himself out of it. _Settle down, Seto. He just wants to help!_

“Kaiba, he’s presenting. We need to get him home,” Yugi slowly explained, touching Atem’s burning forehead. “I-If you want, you can help carry him to his room upstairs. It’s unsafe out here.”

The word ‘unsafe’ rang in Seto’s ears like a gunshot and he lost no time scooping up Atem bridal-style as he stood up. There’s no way in hell he would let Atem stay longer in an unsafe environment. 

Yugi led the way inside—the others separating to make way for them. “I-I think I should call Serenity for help,” Joey yelped as he caught Kaiba’s menacing glare before they disappeared inside the back door of the shop. He took out his phone and feverishly typed his sister.

“I think I got goosebumps,” Duke commented shakily. “Those were some strong pheromones.” 

Tristan nodded. “To think Atem would present like _that…_and Kaiba to be there too—_brr!” _He clutched himself. 

“Eh? Atem-_niisan _is only presenting now?” Mokuba piped up. “I even presented earlier than him! I thought he’s a beta like me?” 

Grandfather Solomon shook his head, “Atem’s _neither, _young Mokuba. Well, up until now, I suppose. He’s currently in pre-_heat.” _

“Pre-heat? You mean he’s an _omega?!” _Mokuba clapped a hand to his mouth in shock. They all nodded solemnly. “Isn’t it a bit too late for him to present? Is it healthy for him?”

“Who knows, my boy,” Solomon merely sighed and decided to close up shop early for the day. He flipped the hanging signage. “Atem might be a rare case of a late bloomer.”

***

It’s like having tunnel-vision. One track mind. Autopilot.

There was nothing for him right now but: _Atem, Atem, Atem._

Atem’s scent was filling him up—a well he never knew he thirsted for. Seto needed it. He _wanted _it. _Wanted him._ He wouldn’t let others have him. He would take him to safety—away from all the prying eyes—the fussy hands—the disconcerting smells.

Seto Kaiba would take care of him. No one else.

He felt Atem stir in his arms. He looked down to see half-lidded magenta eyes, cheeks insanely flushed. With great difficulty, he pulled himself up—trying to climb higher Seto’s chest.

Once Atem had wrapped his arms around his neck, it hit him like a wall. The pharaoh snuggled closer to his throat, baring his own neck to him which emitted the strongest and the sweetest of smells. A jolt crossed his entire body like thunder. It was so, so intoxicating!

_Please_, Seto heard him whine in his ear.

At that point Kaiba stopped opening the door. His mind only focused on Atem. His fangs were bared.

He only needed to do one thing.

***

“His room’s at the end of the hall,” Yugi pointed at the burnished door to Kaiba when they arrived at the second floor landing. The taller alpha did not even spare him a look and only continued to walk briskly towards the proffered direction. This alarmed Yugi somewhat, and he discreetly called Joey and Tristan to follow quickly.

“Hey, ssup?” Tristan whispered, wrapping a handkerchief over his nose. Joey did the same. The whole hallway was doused with Atem’s scent.

“When I tell you to, just do it, okay?” Yugi lowly whispered back. “I have a bad feeling about this. He’s not listening anymore. It’s like—Kaiba’s in a trance.” They followed the alpha CEO silently as he tried to open the room singlehandedly while holding the newly-presenting omega. Joey opened his mouth to ask more, but Yugi shook his head and instead signaled to get closer.

“Kaiba, wait, I can open the door for you—“ Yugi started, and he was expecting Kaiba to stubbornly push at the door even more without listening, but surprisingly he had stopped. Yugi felt relieved for a second until he saw Atem’s lithe limbs wrapping around the taller alpha’s neck.

Kaiba did not really stop. He was just—paralyzed? By what?

_Oh no. _

“Joey, Tristan, once we get Atem to his room safely, you both have to hold Kaiba back, okay? Use all force necessary,” Yugi dashed to open the neglected door. _I’m so sorry, Seto, but this is not the right time yet._

Yugi knew that during such _cases_, alphas like Seto would_ not_ let go of their omegas easily, not even faced with a dozen alphas snarling or growling at him. The smell that both of them produced were so overwhelming, yet at the same time deterring. It literally told them to ‘leave the two of them alone’. But Yugi knew the consequences of yielding down to base instincts. He couldn’t risk that. Especially to his _aibou._

“NOW! MOVE!” Yugi cried. With all his strength, he pulled Atem from Kaiba’s arms. The taller alpha’s mating fangs had actually begun to pierce the skin. Blood droplets turned into lines as Yugi pulled the pharaoh forcefully away from Kaiba’s possessive grip. It tore a painful whine from Atem—either it was due to the wound that was inflicted or the loss of the alpha from his neck—Yugi did not linger to know. He half-dragged, half-carried Atem to his bed, lumping him with all the blankets and pillows he could find on the available surface before jumping back out to close and lock the door.

Tristan and Joey were quick on their feet and held back Kaiba when Yugi cried out. The taller alpha was seemingly in a slow-motion realization. He stared at his own pale hands for a few seconds, as if he was looking something that was there before. And when it dawned on him that the omega was taken from him, he saw red.

The furious growl Kaiba let out was not something Yugi would like to hear again.

He pulled at the two fellow alphas holding him back, but even with their combined strength, Kaiba still managed to move forward a few paces closer to the locked bedroom. He snapped and bared his fangs at his captors. He snarled angrily most of all, at Yugi.

There was only a split second decision. No one could calm a raging alpha being taken away from a possible mate. Yugi bit his lip in regret as he clenched his fist.

“I’m sorry, Kaiba,” Yugi said, in between pants. “I’ll have to explain later.”

And Tristan and Joey’s faces were painted white in shock as Yugi punched Kaiba straight to the face, toppling all three of them back onto the floor.


	2. Late Bloomer Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm already using their English names, I'm gonna tick off the honorifics for consistency. 
> 
> Thank you so much for the feedback! They mean so much to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_ “Holy shit!”_

_ “Damn, Yugi!”_

Joey and Tristan both cried out in surprise after all three of them fell down onto the floor—brought by the weight of Kaiba. Yugi’s punch was not enough to render the CEO alpha unconscious—but his whole right cheek was red and was beginning to bruise. Yugi somehow missed his nose (for sure it might bleed or worse, break, if it did). Kaiba stayed on the floor—shocked—and he was staring straight into space. It was as if he was doused in a bucket of ice-cold water.

Slowly, Kaiba lifted a long-fingered hand to his cheek and touched it. He winced at the rapid onslaught of pain. Deep blue eyes, which were no longer crazed and wanting, looked up to Yugi, his voice seething. “You…_dare…hit me?”_

“Welcome back to your senses, Kaiba,” Yugi shook his fist from the slight pain. _He’s got a hard face to match his equally hard personality, _he mused darkly.

Atem’s locked bedroom was still only a few paces away from them and Kaiba ogled at its direction. What was he doing again? The last few minutes had been quite a blur. There was still that strong, intoxicating scent in the air and Kaiba did not want to go just yet. Yugi let out a warning snarl. “_Seto._ _Let’s go_.”

Blinking confusedly at Yugi’s rare commanding tone, Kaiba let himself be led back downstairs, flanked by Joey and Tristan. It was only when they were finally settled in the lounge with the others, and traces of the intoxicating scent had finally subsided, did Kaiba finally get his thoughts together. The memories of what happened only crashed onto him just now. And by the gods was he so _stupid._

_ Atem._

He was an omega. _The fucking pharaoh was an omega!_

_ Fuck,_ Kaiba gritted his teeth. _My instincts got the better of me._

“_Bro! _What happened to your face?” Mokuba cried out, scuttling beside his older brother on the couch.

“I-I’ll go get some ice,” Yugi muttered sheepishly. “You damn well better,” Kaiba grunted. He winced again. It was suddenly aching to speak. That small Mutuo did throw quite a punch.

“What happened, bro?” Mokuba stubbornly wheedled. “That looks like it will bruise.” Indeed, his right cheek was slowly turning yellow and purple. Seto wondered how he would go to work like this. It did not help that he was naturally pale that even tiny insect bites showed so prominently.

And with Yugi’s punch, that kind of bruise did not disappear overnight.

Joey snorted. “T’was Yugi who hit him. And damn well he did good—“

“Shut up, Wheeler.”

“What? I’m only tellin’ the truth. Or else you would have _jumped Atem in a heartbeat—“_

There was a collective shout of ‘WHAT?!’ from the rest. For the first time in his life, Kaiba wanted to melt into nothingness. He sorely wished the lumpy cushions of the cheap couch would swallow him whole and disappear forever. He wondered if he was actually _blushing_ out of embarrassment--but he figured he was far more shaken and terrified of his actions to actually do so.

Taking a deep calming breath, the CEO said, “That was an honest mistake.” He never wanted to be drowned by his own alpha instincts at that moment. Who would? But certainly, for someone like him who trained to control his emotions ever since under his adoptive father’s tutelage, that occurrence was uncommon_._ Seto Kaiba never ever yielded into his basest instincts. His ruts were monitored by medicines—and he only ever wanted to get them over with. Unlike most alphas who would enjoy their own ruts and would take lovers to spend them with.

Kaiba was never attracted to anyone’s scent, or pheromones.

Not until Atem presented, that was.

Was there something with the scent of newly-presented omegas? It was his first time in the same vicinity with an omega in pre-heat. _That must be it._ The cogs and wheels inside Kaiba’s brain was turning around rapidly, thinking of possible answers to his unusual behavior earlier.

Yugi arrived with an ice pack and handed it to Seto with a wry smile. “Finally calmed down?”

Begrudgingly, Seto answered. “I know.” A beat. “Thanks,” he muttered tersely, taking the ice pack.

Duke doubled over. “Never thought I’d ever see the day Seto Kaiba would have a ‘thank you’ in his vocabulary. Whatever happened?”

“I said ‘thanks’, not ‘thank you’, Devlin, clean your ears,” Seto snapped, lightly patting the ice pack to his injured cheek.

“But what really happened?” Mokuba asked Yugi.

“First off, do we have any news from Serenity?” Yugi asked Joey. The blond alpha nodded vigorously. “She says she’s gonna drop by with Mai in a few. They’re bringing some meds—and are offering to help Atem out.”

Yugi breathed in relief, “That’s great. Granpa and I won’t be of any help to him right now. We never had an omega in the household.” He blushed a bit.

“I can cook some soft food for him later,” Solomon offered. “It’s almost dinnertime after all—and we all need to eat!”

“It’s okay, grandpa, we can probably just order takeaways,” Duke suggested. “We are a lot of mouths to feed.”

“Oh! Oh! Pizza sounds good!”

“Joey, we already had that last time.”

“Let’s just order whatever that’s fast! I wanna know what happened!” the younger Kaiba pouted. “It’s on me! Just tell meeee!”

“Watch it, Mokuba. Don’t go wasting your money on these dorks,” Seto scoffed. He remembered buying some snacks and chips with Atem along the way--where did they go? He must had dropped them in his haste to carry Atem to safety.

“It’s fine, it’s my allowance,” Mokuba pouted.

“You know what, I think it’s about time we go home,” the alpha CEO darkly stated. “Nooo, bro! We’re not going home until you tell me what happened!” Mokuba began punching his brother’s arm.

“Ouch, stop it, Mokuba—“

“We’re staying! We’re staying!”

“FINE. Just get it over with.”

“Come on, let’s order dinner so we can talk about what happened!” Mokuba said. Tristan offered to place their orders as he fished out his phone (_Let’s go get wings and fries on the side!_ Joey piped).

Yugi shook his head fondly, “It’s not something fun to talk about you know, Mokuba.”

“But I’m curious!” said Mokuba.

“How to start…” Yugi rubbed the back of his neck. “I might need your help explaining, though, Kaiba.” He looked apprehensively at the older brother across him.

“I already said it was an honest mistake. What more explanation do you need?” Kaiba retorted irritably.

Grandfather Solomon cut in. “It’s not that such alpha behavior weren’t unheard of, you know. Any alpha would go in a hypnosis-like trance state with the _right_…uh…” He paused a little bit before continuing. “The _right mate, _I believe_.”_

Everyone looked at the old man like he was spouting nonsense. Kaiba called bullshit. “That’s superstition and hokum, old man.” Atem? His mate?_ Preposterous_.

Solomon Mutuo chuckled, “Oh, you say that now, young man. But if what Joey was saying is true, and you succumbed to your alpha instincts back there, then this is no mere superstition. There are instances when alphas would even go into sudden ruts if they found their perfect mate.”

“Eh??! What does he mean?” Mokuba tilted his head.

“You see, Mokuba,” and then Yugi recounted what had happened. As the smaller Mutou explained the details of Atem’s symptoms of omega presentation, and of the scenario upstairs with Joey and Tristan, Seto folded into himself. _This is foolish,_ he thought.

“Of course, I’m certain your older brother was not fully aware of himself at that time,” Yugi ended. “So we had to stop him by force or else they would have _bonded_ unconsciously. Right, Kaiba?”

Kaiba only groaned. He really owed Yugi one. He could just imagine the headlines in the tabloids if he ever did bite Atem earlier: _KaibaCorp CEO Bonds an Unwilling Omega! Domino Scandal of the Century!_

But Atem was not _unwilling…_which confused Kaiba. He was convinced his scent—that damn irresistible, enticing scent—pulled at him. Like it was made for him. But of course he wouldn’t say that now, would he?

“That’s why you punched Seto huh,” Mokuba hummed in understanding, rubbing a finger to his chin. His eyes lit up. “Own up to it, big bro!”

“That will not happen again,” Seto gritted his teeth angrily. “Like Yugi said, the bite was discontinued. There was no _mating_ mark whatsoever.”

“Oho~ so you _do _consider him as a mate then!” Joey pointed at him accusingly.

Seto felt a headache coming on. “That’s a _dumb_ conclusion, Wheeler. There are no supporting claims to back that up.”

“Grandpa Solomon did say—“

“That remains to be proven,” Seto scoffed, chin raised and in denial. “It could well be just the pheromones and the pre-heat scents talking.”

“Hmm....Kaiba has a point, though,” Yugi shrugged. “Atem’s pheromones were strong enough to attract a whole pack to be honest—“

“But we weren’t that affected?” Tristan commented. “I mean, yeah, his scent was _amazing_ (Kaiba scowled at that), but hell, I’m kinda scared to approach? Like Atem doesn’t want me to—”

“Well, duh, big bro’s there,” Mokuba crossed his arms. “He’s already laid territory!”

Seto rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Not you, too, Mokuba. Atem is _not_ _my mate—“_

“Whoa—what’s everyone doing? No one was answering the door.” A cocky female voice drifted from the entrance. Everyone turned to see Mai Valentine walk in, with Joey’s sister Serenity right behind her. They were both carrying some grocery bags. “We got your call for help, Joey.”

“I can show you to his room. Thanks for comin’,” Joey offered, pointing his thumb at the staircase. Yugi added, “Thank you very much for your help. Here’s the spare key, Joey.” He tossed the ring of keys to him.

“No problem, honey. We omegas should stick together to help each other. Especially those newly-presented ones,” Mai smiled. “I wasn’t expecting your other twin to actually be an omega, though.”

Yugi replied somberly, “We didn’t either.”

“Poor Atem. He must be in dire pain. He presented late, didn’t he? By the way, there’s a delivery waiting at the porch,” said Serenity shyly. “Is it for you guys?”

“Oh, crap! That’s the pizza,” Duke exclaimed. Mokuba jumped down from the couch. “I’ll go with you!”

“Take your share Mokuba, we’re going home,” Seto stood up as well, setting aside the now-melted ice pack. “I’m done here.”

“But big bro!”

“You already had your way. Your questions are already answered. I’m giving you ten minutes. Or I’m leaving without you.”

“Fine! Leave me! I’ll just take a cab!”

“Mok--”

He watched his younger brother stomp out of the lounge. What did he come here for if not to pick him up? Seto felt a migraine creeping up his temples. Even if Mokuba was growing up into a smart, fine young man, he’s still his only brother and he would not let him be alone as much as possible.

Much less with these dorks.

Seto Kaiba sighed resignedly and sat back down. He turned to Yugi, who was cleaning up the messy, boardgame-strewn table for them to put their food on. “Yugi.”

“Yes, Kaiba?” the smaller Mutuo asked.

“I need more ice.”

***

Atem felt like his insides were being burned alive, but he was shivering like he was submerged in freezing water.

He clawed at his chest, at his throat. He tossed and turned in discomfort--the blankets and pillows around him on his bed felt so foreign to him. He wanted to cry out loud from the pains in his lower abdomen. _What was happening to him? _

_ Alpha. _

Atem sobbed onto the pillow. The rousing alpha scent from earlier was suddenly gone. He felt devoid--lost--without it. There was a gnawing hunger within him that wanted _that_ alpha to complete what was missing _inside him_.

He patted his neck--there was already a hint of fangs about to bite him already back outside--but was interrupted. Atem curled up into himself, wanting to experience that feeling again. He cried harder. His eyes burned from the tears and the fever. His throat felt dry, his chest heaved from the effort of his laborious breathing. 

He went on weeping like that for quite some time, until he heard the turn of the lock on his door.

“Atem?”

The pharaoh sniffed the air cautiously--and was met with two distinct soothing scents. For some reason, he could easily identify them as friends. _Omegas._

“We’re here to help you, hun,” a calm voice reverberated in the room.

Another one added, “We have medicines to help you get through your first heat.”

They seemed familiar...Mai’s voice! Oh, and Serenity’s! A moment of lucidity passed by the pharaoh and he realized, _Oh, Ra, I am presenting, am I not? _There was another jolt of pain in his lower abdomen and Atem whimpered.

“Hang in there, Atem,” Mai crooned as she sat down at the edge of the bed, reaching out to wipe at his sweaty brow. Serenity fixed the groceries and medicines on a nearby study table. “We’ll give you some omegan pain relievers and vitamins first, since you can’t really begin on suppressants just yet during your first heat,” she explained softly.

“S-Suppress--?” Atem asked weakly.

Mai patted his shoulder. “Can you sit up? You need to drink this medicine as soon as possible.”

“Come on, Atem, you’ll be able to rest properly soon.”

Atem sincerely hoped he did.

***

It was quite the unplanned weekend for Seto.

Due to his brother’s insistent finagling, Seto begrudgingly managed to join in playing a roleplaying game following their quick dinner (_Seto Kaiba using his bare hands to eat? I must be dreaming,_ Joey choked on his fries. _Shut up, Wheeler.)_, which he won, of course.

“Do you think you peasants can outsmart me?” Kaiba threw down his numerous accumulated quest cards with a flourish. Tristan muttered something about choosing the wrong board game to play to Duke Devlin.

“I just bought the expansion pack! It’d be a shame not to try it!” Duke hissed, waving the shiny box of Dungeons & Dragons at his face.

“That was so fun! Let’s play another one!” Mokuba cried. He finished second place. Yugi opted to sit this one out and was handling the chores since Solomon had proceeded to do some product inventory before retiring for the night.

“We’re going home, Mokuba,” Seto scoffed. “I’ve wasted precious time already. I’m calling Roland to pick us up.”

“But, bro~!”

“Enough--” Seto snapped at him, but he paused as he noticed the slight change in the air. His deep blue eyes locked on the two ladies climbing down the stairs.

There was _that _scent again.

Kaiba took a shuddering breath and opted to drain his can of soda to distract himself. Roland had already texted his affirmation and he would be around the curb in five minutes.

_Make it two minutes, Roland. _He proceeded to walk out first. “Fix your things, Mokuba, I’m going to wait outside.”

“Fine,” Mokuba grumbled.

“How’s Atem?” Yugi was the one who asked the two omegas first. “You two were upstairs for quite some time.”

Mai kicked Joey lightly at the shins to make space for her on the couch (_Ouch, Mai!)_. She grabbed a spare can of rootbeer and opened it. “He’s finally sleeping like a baby. Gods know how taxing it is during the first heat.”

“It’s curious, though,” Serenity commented. “He shouldn’t be feeling _that _level of intense pain for a first heat. His...er, _needs_ were unusual. It’s as if he were already exposed to a mate, you know.”

Seto froze near the doorway at her words.

“Come to think of it, yeah,” Mai responded. “He did have those wounds near his scent glands, too. Who would--”

_Damn this, _Kaiba pushed open the door to the shopfront. He knew it was him who almost did just that. It nagged at him. He was in deep humiliation. That was not him at all. He’d rather not stay and be judged for his uncontrollable behavior.

All he wanted right now was to get home and reflect on himself.

_If I lost control on an omega in pre-heat, then I am becoming weak, _Seto thought. Once he arrived back at his manor, he would start training himself again. He would not let such base biology dictate his way of life.

And a tiny voice at the back of his head hoped that Atem wouldn’t, too.

***

Atem felt weak. So weak.

He did not know how long he had endured his heat. He could only remember vague flashes of memory and mostly just...pain. At least he could recall eating. Yugi was dropping in his room on certain times to force him to partake anything. Sip some soup. Munch on soft biscuits. Drink some water.

The pain relievers had made him lethargic, thus he slept most of the time. On such moments when he was awake, though, he felt an _urge_. The heated kind--which would only be satiated by an alpha.

By _one specific alpha, _to be exact.

He was still scared to do anything about his sensitive nether regions--and the fresh outburst of slick which soaked his pants and his blankets bothered him. At that point, he had divested himself of his clothes to avoid the hassle of changing and getting off of the bed. So as much as possible, he would try and sleep everything off.

But when the need had reached peak levels, Atem had no choice but to relieve himself (of course he had to make sure he was alone). He was not a stranger to such pleasures, however this was the first time he did it--with _someone he wanted_ in mind.

_ Seto Kaiba._

Oh how his slick gushed with just remembering his scent!

And now that the haze of his heat had subsided, Atem felt so guilty. So, so guilty. He sat amidst his crumpled sheets, bare torso shiny with sweat.

How could he see Kaiba the same way again? What would he think of him now? Would he still consider him as his rival? Did he mean it—when he told Atem he would stay with him regardless of his dynamic?

Atem knew Seto would never go back on his word—but in his case—would he? A sharp pang of anxiety and hurt shot through his chest at the thought. _I need to learn control,_ Atem thought. Presenting as an omega was not what he had been expecting—but it’s better than nothing.

This was merely a small, growing, one-sided attraction. Nothing more. His pheromones might had latched onto the nearest alpha in the vicinity and it was coincidentally one Seto Kaiba. That should be it. Atem took a deep breath. He only needed control. Keep his emotions in check. He’s pretty sure Kaiba would be thinking the same thing.

Soon, it would be another normal day at work. He should be fine.

***

Seto Kaiba should have expected it when he went to work.

Wearing a nose and mouth mask did not hide the fact that he had a huge healing patch stuck on his cheek. A susurrus of whispers followed him wherever he went, and he could only grit his teeth in annoyance. It’s already been a week, but due to his poor complexion, it was taking forever for the bruise to heal.

It was easy to feign a nasty bout of a cold to justify an increase of enmity against the people around him. However, Mokuba’s snickers here and there were making things difficult for Seto.

“Will you stop doing that?” Seto hissed at his younger brother after a staff meeting with his head scientists. “You’ve been giggling nonstop ever since we resumed work this week.”

Mokuba finally let out a loud guffaw while clutching his work tablet. “I-I’m sorry, big bro. Just looking at your face makes me remember what happened during the weekend.” And he snorted again. “They said idiots never get sick. At least you proved you aren’t an idiot.”

Seto glared at him, and pointed menacingly at his brother. “I need you to behave. There’s one more meeting to finish today and I am _this close _to grounding you—“

“Kaiba.”

It should have been very comical for Mokuba to see his older brother stiffen like a rod and turn back ungraciously at the source of the voice. He bit his tongue to stifle his laugh. Mokuba thought he tasted blood, but heck. He needed to tell Yugi about this.

Atem stood a few paces away from the both of them. He had just arrived from the lift, with him was his own work tablet. “And Mokuba as well, hello.”

After finally presenting, Atem’s aura became more distinct—more mellow—even soft, by Mokuba’s standards. There’s still power stewing in his person despite his strong scent and pheromones. “Hey, Atem! How are you?” Mokuba waved at him eagerly. “Did you rest properly?”

Atem beamed at him. “I am quite well now, thank you, Mokuba. I’ve just had first medical appointment the other day.” Compared to his older brother’s stoic, uncaring personality, Mokuba at least knew some empathy. Gratitude blossomed in Atem’s chest at the younger boy’s concern for his wellbeing. He then regarded Seto, and he tilted his head curiously up at him.

Seto caught the pharaoh’s gaze, and coughed distractedly. “We still have a meeting with the board. We should go.”

Mokuba sneered up at him, and hooked his hand around Atem’s arm. “Let’s go, Atem!”

Atem let himself be pulled by Mokuba to their next meeting room, with the older Kaiba behind them.

And at that moment, Seto was very thankful he had drunk his scent blockers that day—for merely taking a whiff of Atem’s very omegan scent, was making him terribly unfocused. He couldn’t let them know now, could he? If he did not take his blockers, his scent—his alpha— would surely be going haywire at the mere encounter with Atem—and everyone there would be a witness to his mere scent reacting to the omega.

He thought he was ready. He thought it was merely a passing weakness. His trainers told him nothing had changed in his controls. And now that Atem had come back for work changed everything.

Later, Kaiba would take more suppressants and recommend Atem his doctors. Gods know that blasted pharaoh needed to reel in that ridiculous amount of pheromones, or else he’s going to _die._

***

Atem was right.

As usual, Kaiba was his usual self. His scent was…needless to say, normal. Gone was the heady smell of musk and storms when he had presented. Atem actually almost thought that he had encountered a different alpha back then at the gameshop. But he was certain it was Seto Kaiba. Even with Yugi’s recount of the events that had transpired, indeed, it was Seto who carried him into the house when he had fainted.

A tiny hope had sparked in his chest when Grandpa Solomon shared his thoughts on what had happened. It seemed too good to be true, especially since both he and Kaiba shared a duelist connection. It should be understandable to be attracted that way, shouldn’t it? Nonetheless, Atem surmised that it might just be wishful thinking on his side.

Looking at Kaiba presenting the day’s agenda in that meeting like it’s nothing to him gave Atem relief that at least the alpha was unaffected. He felt sorry that his _aibou _had punched the alpha CEO, but it was for their own good. At least, they’re back to normal.

Well, if he would consider being _ogled at_ as normal. Atem did get a lot of stares when he had arrived at KaibaCorp. Even Roland, who was his designated driver every time he was needed in the company, had a double-take when he had opened the car door for him. Of course, people would be shocked to know that he had presented. He himself was likewise surprised.

Two of the directors in that meeting, though, who were also omegas, nodded at him knowingly when he took his designated seat. He’s not alone, that’s for sure. He gave a small smile at them gratefully. The soothing scent that they let out calmed him down in that meeting.

He had a couple more hours to spend in that room, and Atem would prove that despite his new dynamic, he would still be as skillful as he had been without it.

_ Nothing has changed,_ Atem nodded to himself, as Kaiba introduced new updates for their Solid Vision programs. _Everything is back to as how it should be._

Oh how very wrong he was.


	3. Dilemmas

Seto tapped on his desk in annoyance.

It had been a month. A month! And he still had not told Atem to go to his personal doctors and fix his godsdamn scent!

He told himself he was just busy. Things slipped his mind sometimes. Of course, he could make mistakes—not that he could really afford to. But every time there was an opportunity to work with Atem _personally_ at the office, he would just tend to _forget_ he needed to talk to him about his scent!

It was as if the tiny gears in Seto’s brain functions would creak and stop and just move in a completely different direction every time Atem would drop by. The alpha CEO would then _involuntarily _force himself to finish quickly whatever business they had to do together (because he could not stand the awkwardness with Atem in the vicinity—or maybe it was just him?); thus cutting the time they would spend together even shorter than necessary. After which, he would then remember that he had forgotten to tell him what he needed to when the omega had already left the building.

Each and every one of those scenarios would always end like this:

“—and that concludes today’s agenda. Atem—“

Those magenta orbs would widen and stare (almost wondrously) up at him—eager to be of help—and Kaiba would falter (just a teensy bit). He would then be met with a generous waft of his sweet, spicy scent, and then shit would just go blank in his head.

“—justsendtheresultsthroughemail. Thatwouldbeall. Meetingadjourned.”

And off he went. _Magnificent. _

Seto actually thought of sending him an email about it instead—or even booking him an advance appointment, but he figured it would sound too personal and rude (Hah! When did he even care?). But an alpha dictating an omega what he should do about his own biological attributes was out of his books. That was a line he would not dare cross (and his alpha pride would not let him anyway). Only Gozaburo did those and he would not stoop to his adoptive father’s level. These things required a face-to-face encounter. He would tell him. Next time.

Zilch.

_ Or maybe he just really liked his scent in person after all. _

Seto could only groan. The pharaoh smelled _marvelous,_ like confectionary—like baked goods—something homely and comfy and _delicious—_and that’s a fact he himself loathed to deny. Even his coworkers would gossip about the newly-presented omega Mutou behind palms in hushed whispers and telephone calls. Heck, even his married alpha secretary would gush about Atem to him during times she felt the need to break some tension with her boss.

Which he hated, by the way.

“Oh, come on, Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Mutuo smells super _sweet,_ doesn’t he?”

“What a load of bull,” Seto hissed to himself in his empty office. _I don’t need a damn reminder._ Whatever. He would have to adjust and adapt. He always did. Atem’s stupidly strong scent and pheromones were mere results of new presentations. And lack of training.

At least in that field, Seto knew he was winning. Atem would surely not know what hit him. Emotions were fickle for Seto. And the pharaoh was brimming with it. He almost always could taste it in his scent. Surely one day, it could be his downfall. Scents were powerful weapons if one knew properly how to utilize them.

Like tomorrow, he would forego his blockers. There was a scheduled meeting for a new structure pack with Industrial Illusions; and the time was nigh to irritate Pegasus with his scent again. For some reason, that ostentatious billionaire was always bothered by his alpha scent. It would be another interesting meeting.

Especially now that Pegasus had no idea that Atem was an omega—

_ “Genkai battle tata—“_

Seto flinched at the sudden loud ringtone from his phone. Swiping the answer button, he cried, “Mokuba! I keep telling you to stop changing my ringtone!”

Loud guffaws echoed from the other side. “Hey, bro! Are you coming home tonight? I’m craving some ramen. And gyoza—and—”

Seto rolled his eyes. “You could have called for deliveries, Mokuba. And yes, I’m coming home. Just about to leave the office.”

“But I wanna eat with you! The delivery might get cold when you arrive,” his brother whined. “Plus it’s kinda too late for one.”

_ There are 24-hour restaurant deliveries, _the alpha scoffed. _But who in their right mind would have ramen delivered?_ “Fine, fine. Just prepare some easy-to-cook noodles and thaw the beef slices from the freezer. I’ll make the sauce you like when I come home.”

“Alright!!!”

“Don’t burn down the kitchen again.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

***

“You know, Yugi, I noticed something,” Solomon Mutou nudged his grandson one Sunday while tending the shop. Yugi looked up from sorting out the newly arrived boxes of card packs. “Yeah, Grandpa?”

“There has been a noticeable increase of patrons coming lately,” Solomon tapped his chin in thought.

Yugi raised his eyebrows. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, but, well,” the older man shrugged. “It seems it’s _not only_ our goods that they’re interested in.”

“What then—”

“_Aibou! _I found the other box you’re looking for—” Atem burst through from their storage room. And with both of his hands busy with carrying the said box, he used his boot to push the door close.

Grandpa Solomon tilted his head at the pharaoh’s direction. “Him.”

Yugi gaped at his grandpa for a moment, before looking at Atem, and then he slowly nodded in understanding. “Oh.”

“Hm?” Atem smiled curiously as he settled the box near Yugi’s feet. “Did something happen?”

“Grandpa was saying there are more customers coming in because of you, _Aibou,_” Yugi rubbed a hand on his nape.

Atem leaned on the counter, confused. “What does it have to do with me?”

“Well, because you are a newly-presented omega, I guess,” Yugi mumbled sheepishly. “People are attracted—I mean curious about you and your scent. Especially since you’re related to me. And omegas are pretty rare here in Domino City.”

The pharaoh tilted his head, “Is that so? But it’s been more than a month since I have presented. Does my scent trouble people?” He sniffed the scent glands on his wrists—and even checked his underarms.

Grandpa Solomon chuckled. “You can’t really smell yourself, Atem.” He patted the omega’s shoulder fondly. “I’m not going to lie, but you do have a very alluring scent as compared to other people.”

Atem looked nonplussed. “That’s…odd? But even Kaiba does not even look affected by my scent whatsoever—”

Yugi tried to hide a smirk creeping up his cheeks, but he was failing. He suddenly remembered what Mokuba had told him a month ago when Atem came to work after his heat. “Knowing Kaiba, he only has two expressions: either angry or constipated. Plus, that alpha is notorious for using blockers most of the time, so you don’t notice.”

Atem asked, “Blockers?”

“Scent blockers,” Solomon shared. “Despite our training and controls, sometimes we exhibit our feelings through our scents, right? Well, some people want to be _extra_ careful with that, so they take blockers. Although, of course, they’re not recommended for daily use since we tend to build immunity against them. We can’t simply stop our genuine scents from fully pouring out, you know.” 

“I see,” Atem hummed. “Maybe I should take some for precautions…”

“Come to think of it, even Kaiba is not usually on blockers when he visits here during game weekends,” Yugi said. “I can single his scent out.”

“Oh, really?” Atem raised his eyebrows, interested.

“You can ask your doctor if you want, _Aibou,_” Yugi smiled at him. “Your scent isn’t too much to warrant trouble. It’s just _strong._ Like you.”

The pharaoh chuckled. “Thank you, _aibou._” Count on Yugi to lift his spirits quickly. “My doctor did not yet mention about scent blockers, only suppressants and vitamins. It must be because my body is still getting used to being an omega.” He tapped his chin in thought. “I have not asked this, but, what do I smell like?”

Yugi squinted his eyes and wrinkled his nose in concentration. “Hm, I think it’s a mixture of some sweet spices or something? I can also smell some sort of sugary pastry—” He shrugged. “How ‘bout you, Grandpa?”

“I agree with the spices and something sweet,” the old man chuckled. “I can smell something that says you’re ‘soft’ and ‘gentle’, but that could be the omega in you as well.”

Atem nodded in understanding and the topic closed just like that. They resumed their card sorting that day in silence. But as he retreated back to his room, all he could think about was their topic about scents and blockers. Atem missed a scent—that strong scent—_Kaiba’s alpha scent_ during his first heat. He could barely remember it now. It was all a faded memory.

“Taking blockers hides away most feelings,” Atem repeated to himself. No wonder he could barely smell anything on Seto Kaiba. He understood why Kaiba needed to take them. He was such a stubborn man who would easily brush away sentimentalities. And with such a dark past to boot, Kaiba would not want his uncontrolled scents be a sign of weakness.

_But I miss that scent of his…_

It didn’t help that the alpha CEO was being a sourpuss most of the time he dropped by work. Every encounter was short-lived, straight to the point. Seto all business. Atem knew that there was an upcoming meeting with Industrial Illusions soon so he understood how busy he could be—but, he hoped that Seto could at least show that he’s not talking to a wall.

_At least look at me, will you? _

***

“Kaiba boyyyyy~”

Pegasus J. Crawford stood up graciously from his seat in their proposed meeting room in Industrial Illusions. His arms were outstretched in greeting, long hair swaying gently.

When Seto Kaiba was an arm’s length away from him, the silver-haired man wrinkled his nose and gave out a wry smile. “I see you are not wearing your blockers today, Kaiba boy—however,” He squinted and leaned closer. Kaiba grimaced at him inching into his private space, but stood his ground.

“_My_, _my_, what is that _sweet scent?”_

“Pegasus.”

The pharaoh peeked from the alpha’s tall back in greeting. Seto had almost forgotten about the omega Muto. Atem was busy being awed at the grand estate on the way to the meeting room, so Kaiba basically left him in his pace. It was his first time there after all—since Mokuba stayed at home. Seto would _not _let him near Pegasus after kidnapping him years back. 

And since Atem played a major part in this project, Kaiba had decided to bring him along. Kaiba was half-apprehensive, half-curious at how Pegasus and Atem would fare working together closely this time around; but seeing the myriad of expressions run across the billionaire’s half-covered-by-hair face, Seto wanted to laugh. He pulled his usual seat at the table and watched the scenario unfold.

“The other Mutou boy!” he clapped his fingers to his mouth in dramatic shock. “_An omega!_ But this late? Whatsoever happened?”

Atem simpered at the recognition, but he motioned to follow Kaiba to sit down next to him (much to the alpha’s slight ire). “A mere presentation like everyone else, I assure you.”

Pegasus did not look the least bit assuaged and continued to gape at the pharaoh like he’s an unusual specimen. “I had assumed you were a beta, pharaoh my boy.” A muscle twitched in Atem’s jaw at the nickname. “But an omega suits you just mighty fine.” The silver-haired alpha took another big sniff (that Kaiba shot him a disgusted glare for). “Your scent would have been my new _favourite _now if only Kaiba boy were not here to _pollute—” _

“All right—break it off, Pegasus,” Kaiba scowled, hitting his palm on the table. “Aren’t we supposed to have a meeting today?”

Pegasus wrinkled his nose at the onslaught of the other alpha’s menacing scent, but a sly smile curved up his lips. His golden brown eye flitted from the alpha CEO to the pharaoh and back again. His smile grew wider at the idea that popped inside his head, and Kaiba almost snarled at him—which was halted when the doors opened again for the other people involved in the meeting to file in.

“Indeed, Kaiba boy. Let’s get to business shall we?”

Kaiba gritted his teeth at that suspicious grin from Pegasus_. _He was beginning to smell trouble.

***

The Crawford estate was breathtaking. Even more so than KaibaCorp in Atem’s opinion.

The pharaoh preferred the lush greenery and flora in his estate. KaibaCorp, on the other hand, despite its technological grandeur and sky gardens, felt lackluster and limited to Atem. They were in a private island teeming with fruit-bearing trees, surrounded by white sandy beaches, and Pegasus’ castle reminded him of his own kingdom back in Aaru. Although, of course, Atem would not forget the trouble his friends had undertaken here. He was just glad he got to see new sceneries apart from the urban city of Domino—and it was his first real plane trip!

The pharaoh was impressed that Kaiba chose not to include Mokuba with them in this trip (despite his whining). He was still a kid when such a traumatizing experience happened years back. The alpha CEO would not let him near that bastard billionaire again.

Speaking of the CEO…Atem was even happier that he chanced upon Seto without his blockers. The hint of _that _scent was there again! Atem deduced that it might be Seto’s hyper control that still kept his scent and pheromones in their reigns that they were only slightly different to how he usually was with the blockers. But still!

Kaiba was there—with his own raw, signature scent.

Atem was so happy he could almost _purr._

Not now, of course. He was in a wrong place to do so.

The first time that he did purr was when Yugi managed to gather ingredients for him to recreate his favourite Egyptian dish—which shocked the two other Mutuos _(Did you just purr, Aibou??!). _Discovering that he could purr, Atem would then constantly do it whenever he was in a good mood: taking warm baths, eating his favourite food, petting stray cats—were some of the few instances.

“You should reserve your purrs for more intimate reasons,” Mai Valentine observed one time she visited the gameshop with Joey. “Not that I restrict you from doing so, and it’s mostly by instinct. You see, when us omegas purr, it’s a sign that we cherish such things very much—we let our guard down—and purrs are our highest form of approval.”

Atem had listened to her with rapt attention, eager to learn more about his own dynamic.

“Not many people witness an omega purr. Betas don’t purr. Some alphas do—but that’s a rare case—mostly only with mated pairs,” Mai explained. “So be careful. Others might think when you purr in their presence that they have utmost importance and might develop entitlement over you.”

“I shall remember, thank you so much, Mai,” Atem promised.

Mai chuckled, patting his cheek fondly. “You’re surprisingly an adorable omega, Atem. You’re even cuter than Yugi.” And Atem would blush. “Now how was your scent training?”

Atem was lucky enough that he had friends who would help him adjust to his dynamic. He could barely get disoriented by other people’s scents now—although he was still having troubling controlling his own. The constant stares he would get from strangers and coworkers never wavered. He was upset by it at first, but they never harassed him anyway about it directly. _Or else I’ll send them to the shadow realm_, Atem thought. He was always curious what they would talk about behind their hands, though.

Were omegas really such an inferior dynamic?

But looking at how Seto Kaiba interacted with him did not seem like that at all. Even Pegasus appeared friendly enough when he discovered he was an omega. He said he smelled nice, at least. But of course, he would not let his guard down—if the sly grin from the billionaire indicated anything.

The meeting went by without a hitch, and Atem further impressed everyone else with his critiques about the topics at hand. It was safe to say that the project would have the full go signal to be released in a couple of months.

“Congratulations! That was a good presentation!”

“We will be expecting a grand opening for this!”

“Of course, the gala preparations are already underway, with Industrial Illusions as a major platinum sponsor, expect nothing but the best,” Pegasus proudly stated at his stakeholders. “We shall be sending out details as soon as possible within this week—“

“We’re leaving, pharaoh,” Seto Kaiba grunted as he stood up from his seat, turning off the Solid Vision program he used for the presentation. He passed by the congregation huddling around Pegasus with nary a glance. Atem shuffled quickly to his feet, sliding his work tablet underneath his arm—the Millenium puzzle he still wore around his neck clinking when it hit the table.

“A moment, my pharaoh boy,” Pegasus called.

Atem froze near the doorway. “Yes?” Seto who was waiting for him outside, glared over his shoulder at Pegasus irritably.

The silver-haired alpha gave another Cheshire-like grin and fished out a thick envelope from his chest pocket. It was embellished in gold and stamped with the Industrial Illusions logo. “I presume Kaiba-boy would forego the opening gala _again_ for KC this year so I am extending an invitation to you and dear Yugi boy.”

“Pegasus—“ Seto piped in threateningly.

“Ah—ah—ah,” Pegasus waved a finger at him, halting him. Atem smelled an unusual hostile scent from the silver-haired alpha. There was a furrow between Seto’s eyebrows. “I am not finished talking with our cute pharaoh just yet.” He looked down at Atem once again and pushed the invitation to his hands. “I would be very pleased if you attended, pharaoh my boy. I am also inviting the Ishtars and I am certain they would be _ecstatic_ to see you again—“

“Hah—as if they will come out of their own volition, Pegasus,” Seto cut in, seething. “Come on, Atem, our business here is done.”

Pegasus merely raised an eyebrow, “Quite irritable today, are we, Kaiba boy? No matter, I am _bringing _the Ishtars regardless. They are one of our duelist VIPs during that gala after all.” His Cheshire grin widened even more. “As if you could substitute that lovely genius Hawkins girl again in your place, Kaiba boy. Not a good image to your shareholders might I add.”

“None of your business, Pegasus,” Seto scoffed, crossing his arms.

“So, my dear _Atem_, I hope you could come,” Pegasus coaxed. “You haven’t been to any of these gatherings, have you? It would be certainly a breath of fresh air, my pharaoh boy.”

“Ah—I see, I will try,” Atem replied hesitantly. He could feel Seto glaring daggers at Pegasus and at the golden invitation in his hands. The mention of the Ishtars definitely made his ears perk up. He had not seen them yet since his return. It would be nice to catch up…and it should be safe if Yugi agreed to go with him too…

Kaiba had then whisked him away from that meeting, with their bodyguards at their heels. Atem could gauge that Seto was even more irritated than ever if his scent was any indication. It was as if Seto would explode in the very confines of their private jet. He did not like it. His omega did not like an irritated alpha in the vicinity. Atem decided to break the ice.

“You seem cross about Pegasus’ invitation, Kaiba.”

The pharaoh was not expecting the alpha to reply quickly.

“Tsk! He just wants to show off and annoy me,” Kaiba fumed. “Knowing Pegasus, this is all pesky entertainment for him.”

“It’s just a gala, is it not? What harm could possibly happen—“

“Parties are boring,” the alpha huffed from his seat across him. “Especially _his parties.” _The pharaoh almost chuckled at the answer. It almost sounded like he was talking to a _kid. _

“Not with us, it won’t,” Atem said calmly. “Maybe coming with us could change your mind about it.”

“…”

“I’m sure Mokuba would like it if you do—” _I would, too. _He clasped his hands on his lap. He licked his lips. “We’ve all been working hard—_you_ most of all—it would be a nice opportunity to relax there.”

“Mingling with rich strangers is still _work, _pharaoh.” Kaiba deadpanned.

“I won’t let you feel it to be _work_, Kaiba,” Atem reassured him.

For the first time that day, Seto met his eyes. He ogled at the pharaoh with an unreadable expression. Atem gazed back curiously at him, waiting if he would affirm his idea. There’s no harm in trying, right? He never saw Kaiba attend any parties publicly—even skipping Yugi’s own invitation from last year’s Christmas. Mokuba always whined to him about his brother being a killjoy.

“So…what say you? We could all go together and catch up.”

Seto gazed at him even longer, a muscle in his jaw twitching. And then Atem’s eyes widened remarkably when a whiff of suspiciously like cinnamon and musk entered his nostrils. Seto crossed his arms and jutted out his chin. “Whatever.” He then proceeded to close his eyes and lean back on the plush leather recliner seat.

Atem could not stop the giddy smile stretching over his lips during the rest of the trip.

***

Seto could not sleep that night. Again. 

Yeah, well, googling articles of ‘why humans get so affected by ‘cute’ things’ was one of the things keeping him occupied in bed.

He did not understand it fully. He never thought anything—or any_one_ cute (well maybe Mokuba when he was a baby, but that was out of the point).

Cute was out of his vocabulary.

Seto damn well never used that word.

But when Atem instigated that talk—back at the jet ride home a few days ago—Seto wanted to punch himself for actually thinking that the pharaoh looked _cute_ trying to dissuade himself of declining Pegasus’ party invitation.

It did not help that Atem’s pheromones spiked during that short conversation—twiddling his thumbs, staring up at him with those huge magenta eyes—that fucking sweet candy scent—it was a fucking crime!

What the fuck was wrong with him?

_What’s happening to you, Seto? _The alpha gritted his teeth as he chucked his tablet at the empty space beside him on his ridiculously huge bed. Seeing Atem implore him like that was not something he could have expected.

_You should have, Seto! He’s a fucking pharaoh! He damn well likes parties!_ Seto thought angrily. He did not outright say yes, but he did not decline either. His alpha was nagging at him to keep the omega in his sights. As if he would let him (and Yugi) go alone into Pegasus’ clutches. Who knew what might happen again? 

Grumbling to himself, he pulled the covers over him and tried to will himself to sleep.


	4. Change of Plans

“Have you looked over the documents for A Company already? How about Company B and C?”

“Yes, I have. They’re with your secretary—”

“_SHE JUST LEFT WITHOUT GIVING THEM TO ME—”_

“Well, I’m pretty sure they’re still there on her desk. Let’s look for them, shall we?”

“I am going to give her an earful on Monday—”

“Anger will get us nowhere you know, Kaiba.”

“I am not angry!”

“I think your scent says otherwise.”

“Hmph. You should smell yourself, pharaoh.”

“—*shuffling*—_aha! _There we are—”

“Where is your recommended post-release product list—"

“I have also included those—it’s there at the back—ah yes, there you go.”

The work seemed to pile up even more as the year slowly was drawing to a close. It was the final quarter, and it did not help that their project’s formal opening with Industrial Illusions was looming ever nearer as well.

Seto Kaiba wanted their pending tasks to be finished quicker before the holidays arrive, so there would be less stress to tackle. After all, it was difficult to get hold of people involved in certain projects when they would have gone for vacation by then.

His colleagues had dubbed him a ‘demon king’ during these occasions and no one—_no one_—in their right mind would try and dare to challenge his wrath in the midst of rush work.

_ Flee from the demon king! Or else you might get fired!_

Except, well. Maybe a certain _pharaoh. _

Atem was the one [other than Mokuba] who stayed with him during these overtime work hassle. No one would want to stay with the Demon King Seto after work hours. His patience would dry up quickly the same time his espresso machine would run out of ground beans. The more coffee Seto drunk in a stressful day like this, the more horrible he became—but ironically, he would be worse as well without it. No one survived to tell the tale if they got caught in Seto Kaiba’s clutches _without his daily caffeine intake._

Seto did not require Atem to stay longer, but the pharaoh could notice that the siblings definitely needed all the help they could get during these times, so he would volunteer without a second thought.

“You’re a lifesaver, Atem. Thanks so much!” Mokuba piped up after they had collated all the necessary documents. “These should be the last ones, and then we’re off for the product release! Finally!”

Atem smiled. “You’re welcome, Mokuba. We are all in this project after all.”

Mokuba stretched like a cat beside him before exhaling deeply. “Just the gala left and we can finally get the vacation we deserve!”

“What vacation? There’s a new boardgame in the works still—” Seto hissed as he pressed numerous keys on his tech-gauntlet to proceed locking his desk drawers.

“That’s for next year, Seto. Cut us some slack,” his younger brother groaned, rubbing his eyes. “The boardgame is still in the concept stage! And Atem is with us on it so it should be fine, right Atem?”

Atem chuckled lightly at that. “Yes, Mokuba.” Seto rolled his eyes and turned off the lights in his office, shooing the two out so he could lock the doors properly.

Mokuba suddenly had an idea. “Let’s go for dinner together, Atem! We’re planning to drop by that Mediterranean restaurant again like the other time!”

“Oh? May I?” the omega looked at Seto first to confirm, tilting his head. The alpha merely sighed and motioned at them to follow him to the elevators. “You went overtime again. It’s only appropriate,” Seto muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.

“Alright!!!” Mokuba punched the air.

Atem beamed at him pleasantly. “You have my thanks, Kaiba.” The alpha only grunted again. They rode the elevators in comfortable silence, only broken by Mokuba’s ramblings here and there about how hungry he was and how he missed eating some Greek food.

Atem had to agree. His stomach was beginning to rumble, too. The first time he had stayed after normal work hours with the Kaiba siblings, it was Mokuba who instigated that they order delivery as a reward for their hard work. It caught Seto off-guard at first, but he never declined. It was a nice change to actually eat together with other people apart from Mokuba (or Roland for that matter).

Soon, it became a norm that every time Atem stayed longer than necessary for work, they would all eat together. At some point, the omega already knew Seto would always agree—albeit begrudgingly, but Atem would confirm first with the alpha every time.

Plus, it’s an excuse to talk to him anyway.

Atem did like meeting those deep blue eyes of his.

The way they would rake over his self—staring onto his very soul—unyielding—powerful—_mesmerizing—_

Atem was becoming even more enthralled with Seto Kaiba and his top working element. He was striking and skillful—and definitely one of the smartest people he had ever met. Slowly learning about the alpha outside of duels was making Atem fond of him even more. He appreciated the fact that such a young man would achieve so much.

The way Seto Kaiba would hold himself at work—in front of powerful people in the corporate world—impressed Atem to a degree worthy of a fellow king. He would remember his then High Priest Set positively in him. _The bloodline is rich in him indeed, _Atem always mused to himself. The tension—the adrenaline—the _scent_! Oh, Ra, most specially the scent.

Atem wondered why all of a sudden Kaiba did not take his blockers. He could basically smell him everywhere while at work following their last meeting with Pegasus. Did he forget to take them? Or was it a ploy to scare his employees to work harder? _It’s most probably the latter,_ Atem mused. _And it’s quite effective. _Mokuba did not look bothered by it, though, so maybe it was a normal occurrence.

“Hey, Atem,” Mokuba pulled the pharaoh aside after finishing their dinner. They were waiting for Roland to arrive with the car. “You’re free next week, right?” He caught Seto shooting him a suspicious glance, but he grinned mischievously up at his brother.

“I think I am, Mokuba,” Atem replied. “Why?”

The younger Kaiba swung his hands to and fro. “Well—I was wondering if you wanna come help me shop for something to wear for the gala—”

“Mokuba, I already booked you with our personal styli—”

“Seto! I’m talking to Atem,” Mokuba cut him off. “And I thought you don’t wanna go?” He clung to the pharaoh, ignoring his brother. “You have good fashion sense, Atem! We can invite Yugi, too! Whatcha say? OH! Do you both even have an outfit already? Let’s all shop together!”

Atem almost melted at the big, pleading eyes of the young beta. He wondered if this was how Seto would cave into his younger brother’s whims. At the corner of his eye, though, the alpha was giving his brother a sour look strong enough to wilt the flowers outside the restaurant.

Atem had an idea. “I would love to, Mokuba. Maybe we could invite your brother along too, if he wants.” Then he turned his head up at the alpha, smiling slightly. It would be nice to see Seto Kaiba doing something _normal_. Like a twenty-something young man would do. Enjoying shopping and hanging out with friends.

“No,” Seto refused without missing a beat. “I have more work to do.”

“Liar,” Mokuba teased. “You’re only _looking_ for _more_ work to do, bro. What are you _scared of??!_ We are only going shopping!”

“I’m not—!”

Mokuba looped his arm around Atem. “Well, whatever. It would be a date for _us _and you’re _not _included!” He flashed a toothy grin up at his brother—really intent on riling him up. Seto was having none of it, though.

“I don’t care,” the alpha sneered. “Don’t come crying to me getting broke shopping.”

Mokuba only blew him a raspberry, and Atem laughed as their chauffeur appeared around the corner to pick them up.

***

Seto dumped his briefcase on a chaise lounge in his bedroom without bothering to turn on the lights. His eyes had already grown tired of the bright lights and numerous monitors at work—the darkness of his room was a welcome change every time.

Although his mansion was fully automated to include motion-detector lights, Seto made sure his room was exempted from it. He just wanted to crash into the soothing calm of darkness—and into his thousand-thread count memory foam bed.

Mokuba’s words rang portentously inside his head the duration of the ride home after their late dinner with Atem. Was Mokuba insinuating he was jealous or something? _Ridiculous._ He had employees for such things. He did not need to waste time for trivial matters such as mere shopping for clothes.

_ Kids nowadays_, Seto tutted. It did not help that Mokuba kept chatting about all the different shops they could choose from once their shopping date would have arrived with the Mutous. Yugi apparently had agreed quickly and the younger beta could not help but become really excited. What was there to be excited about? It was just shopping!

It was a good thing Seto was already very drowsy from their meal he would not dare bark back at this younger brother from his nearly endless jabbering. And now that he had retired to his room, the alpha was once again alone with his thoughts.

After brushing his teeth and doing all of his nighttime skin care routines (a multi-billionaire CEO must have a proper hygiene and appearance upkeep, you know), Seto finally threw himself on his ridiculously huge bed with numerous pillows. Alphas did not necessarily nest; but for him, he grew to like the comfort of such softness around him—a little remedy to ease the loneliness of growing up orphaned and lacking intimacy. Of course nobody knew about it—even Mokuba. His beta brother only assumed the many pillows as a sign of their typical wealth—and to fill up that huge space he called an ‘emperor’s bed.

Plus, he slept in the nude.

What better way to lounge in such a soft, luxurious bed than with pure skin contact?

They basically live alone in such a huge manor. If Seto could walk naked around the place, he would. But with his younger brother around, he only did it within the confines of his spacious bedroom.

However, of course, it did not stop accidents from happening. Once, Mokuba caught him by mistake when he had gone to wake him up as he slept in late one Saturday. Inasmuch as Seto would like his privacy, his younger brother was a clever one, and would always crack his door code regardless.

Under the premise of showing a new, interesting game he had found online, Mokuba had barged in Seto’s room without a second thought at eight in the morning. Terrible mistake, that was. The beta had screamed himself hoarse in surprise and disgust. “Don’t flash me your Obelisk, Seto! Ew!”

“Shut up, Mokuba! Not like you don’t have one!” the alpha had barked back, irritated at suddenly being jostled awake by the beta’s screams. With a pained grunt, he dragged his sleep-deprived ass back into the covers. He could not help it that he had been so exhausted the previous night he just fainted—naked—straight onto the bed without throwing the covers over himself. How would he know that his brother would actually come to him so early on a day off?

After that, Mokuba swore to never crash in on him during such mornings. And would instead pester him with the house paging system.

Which he remembered to mute tonight, thank goodness.

Squeezing his pale, naked self amidst two pillows the size of his legs, the alpha rested his chin and cuddled the softness. Finally, he could have a weekend to simply rest and sleep in. He had to agree with Mokuba begrudgingly, though. He did deserve some nice rest after their hard work. Exhaustion from the whole week of rushing revisions on their projects was catching up to him. Seto thought he might even sleep for _days. _ The year was slowly coming to an end once again.

_ Another year, huh…_

Two years since he had pulled Atem from Aaru…

Speaking of Atem…

Atem did good at work. Great, even. He was impressed the pharaoh could even handle the hell at KC during this time, despite only being employed for half a year. Usually other people regardless of dynamic would cower at the mercy of the onslaught of game release deadlines. But not Atem.

Atem held himself like the king he was. He knew how to take in pressure and could even multitask. He approached problems with a cool head, and despite being new to technology and corporate affairs, Atem seemed to be at home with everything.

It _fascinated _him.

Seto, at some point, wondered if he was being too pushy on him…Omegas tend to be more sensitive, did they not? They tend to get hurt more, did they not?

_What the hell, Seto? Why are you suddenly being concerned?!_

He rolled over in bed, kicking at the sheets for a more comfortable position. _It’s the fatigue. I’m just tired. I shouldn’t be thinking about these things,_ Seto thought to himself. _I shouldn’t be thinking about _him!

The alpha let out another big sigh as he slowly closed his tired eyes. Until Pegasus’ gala would have finished, it would be another arduous week for him.

_ Ping!_

Seto opened one eye in irritation. He forgot to turn off the text notifications on his techno-gauntlet which was sitting on his bedside table. He reached out a pale hand to swipe at the unread messages when he saw Atem’s name flashing at the sender tab. Erasing the others, he flicked up his wrist to enlarge the pharaoh’s text up in a hologram.

_ [01:27 Atem Mutou:] _

_ Thank you for tonight’s supper, as always, Kaiba. I have already been dropped off safely by Roland. Have a pleasant weekend._

_ P.S. Is there any chance of you changing your mind for next week’s shopping?_

Atem _always _did this ever since they had started working overtime. Despite already voicing out his thanks before they separated for the night, he would always follow up through text. At first it confused him why the pharaoh would even update him like this. It was usually Roland who reported to him after he had finished depositing the pharaoh at the gameshop after work. Until Roland confessed that Atem took that responsibility to himself instead and updated the alpha on his own. Quite unusual—and unnecessary—Kaiba would scrunch his eyebrows at it. _Whatever. _

Still. He would reply. Just to acknowledge it. Nothing more. The alpha was not the type for small talk anyways. (Or was he?)

Seto would just ignore that [tiny surge of excitement] whenever Atem would text, though.

He swiftly typed a reply:

_ [01:30 Seto Kaiba:] _

_ Noted. And no, I shall not change my mind. Go to sleep. _

After which, he muted all his notifications and mail prompts. The alpha was almost settling back down onto his pillows when he saw the screen glow and flashed Atem’s reply. Seto let out a huff of annoyance but swiped the message open nonetheless.

_ [01:32 Atem:] _

_ Aww. That is indeed too bad (=3=)~. I shall see you at work then._

_ Good night, Kaiba._

Nope. He’s definitely not going to reply to that. Kaiba smirked and shook his head as he exited the program. He swore the pharaoh’s learning too quickly for his own good these days. And now he’s using emojis?

But his smirk stayed on his lips as he finally closed his eyes to sleep.

***

_These are shops I have never seen before!_ Atem thought, captivated—eyes darting wildly around the huge displays with very few, very _expensive, _pieces. Yugi had taken him out to malls before, but he had never ventured into this part of town. He never knew such places existed!

_ So this is how the other half lives…_

Despite his generous salary, Atem learned to be frugal and to manage his expenses properly. Since Yugi was still studying, and the gameshop to take care of, Atem had to help in the expenses. He had been but a head of a bustling kingdom, and properly handling these matters were no strange feat to him.

It was a little unusual to be spending money on _himself_ for certain luxuries, but Atem figured he could splurge a bit today. After all, it was the first gala he would attend in the real world. He was curious and excited to experience how people from Domino did it. He’d had parties with friends—including Yugi’s bonding—but for an extravagant event such as this—especially by Pegasus no less—Atem had high expectations.

“So—do you have anything in mind, Atem?” Mokuba asked, slurping his boba milk tea as they walked with Yugi through the almost empty high-end mall.

Atem buried his nose once again in the mall brochure they had. The brands were foreign to him and he had no idea what to choose. “There are indeed so many fascinating brands to check around! It’s quite overwhelming to choose.” He flipped a couple more pages. “Maybe we could check…here! I did a little research—perhaps they would have the outfit I had in mind.”

“Oh! That’s quite an exotic brand, _aibou,_” Yugi nodded in approval. “And here I thought I’d finally see you in a tuxedo.”

“Atem in a tux…Now that would be a sight,” Mokuba chuckled.

The pharaoh clicked his tongue in disapproval. “I will not. Those are far too tight and stifling.”

“But I’m pretty sure you will rock ‘em! You have a nice figure!” the beta gasped.

Atem shrugged. “I’d rather have a _kimono_, thank you very much.” Yugi chortled beside him. “Might I remind you, _aibou_, that a _kimono _has far _more_ layers than a suit?”

“I still find them more cosy than such things! They don’t cling to my arms so much!”

Mokuba shook his head fondly. “You really are the complete opposite of big bro. He _avoids_ traditional _yukata_s and _kimono_s like the plague, you know.” The two Mutous raised their eyebrows. “Bro say’s they’re a pain to wear and to take off. So he goes for suits instead. Makes him even more taller and intimidating, he says.”

“Knowing Kaiba, he’d definitely say that,” Yugi snorted.

At Mokuba’s trivia, Atem could not help but suddenly imagine Kaiba in traditional wear. Vague flashes of his High Priest Set flitted in his mind’s eye and he felt the hairs on his arm stand up in attention. _This is dangerous,_ the pharaoh thought, feeling a palm up to his cheek. _Kaiba would definitely be attractive in one! _

“By the way, Mokuba, why doesn’t your brother like attending these corporate gatherings?” Yugi inquired as they continued their stroll. “Last year, Rebecca was quite—er—emotional about substituting for him.”

“What was the term Joey said before? ‘Whiny’, was it?” Atem supplied. He could remember that time when he was still new to living in Domino.

The genius Rebecca Hawkins had landed herself an excellent position in KaibaCorp’s cybersecurity division despite her young age. Kaiba would not let an opportunity pass by—after all, she had almost broken inside his technology years back. _Keeping enemies closer_ was what Atem heard Yugi say about the matter. Said Hawkins girl had crashed at the gameshop, crying about being forced to attend some fancy ball in the alpha CEO’s stead while said CEO was out gallivanting somewhere abroad (_If I only didn’t like the perks of this job, I’m going to resign! You hear me, Seto Kaiba!)._

Mokuba grinned evilly at Yugi’s query. “It’s ‘cause Pegasus always schedules whatever galas he could think of in time for big bro’s birthday. Just to play nasty, you know.”

“What?”

“Pardon?”

“Like this year, the opening gala for our new project is the day _before_ his birthday,” Mokuba explained. “Oh, you guys don’t know his birthday, huh? Figures. Big bro’s always so secretive about these things. But yeah. It’s on the 25th.”

“That’s next week! And here I thought it’s mostly because it was Pegasus,” Yugi said. “So Kaiba doesn’t like parties on his birthday, huh. I’ve known him for so long and yet I never got privy with this information.”

Mokuba shrugged. “I don’t blame you. He’s such a killjoy. And a workaholic. I swear, I don’t care anymore if he skips celebrating his birthday again this year—as long as he gets enough rest. He’s been supporting me—and the company all his life. But hey, at least we always celebrate mine!”

The Mutous nodded understandably at that. “Kaiba does work very hard,” Atem added. Such a pity. For someone to sacrifice their own birthday celebrations for other, more important matters. The pharaoh realized how selfless Kaiba could be. And more.

“If only he knew how to enjoy the little things—OH! I’ve got an idea!” the younger beta snapped his fingers. “Let’s all get him something for his birthday this year!”

“That would be a great idea, Mokuba,” Yugi smiled at him. “But what would we get him? He can basically buy _anything_.”

Mokuba hummed in agreement. “You’re right…Well, I usually just get him something Blue Eyes White Dragon-related and he laps it up—no matter what kind or how cheap it is. Even if it’s from Pegasus sometimes. He’s got a whole room dedicated to them.”

“He’s a hoarder, huh,” Yugi grinned.

“Only when he needs to. They’re mostly from me anyway. I don’t think bro has time for a hobby like collecting every dragon merchandise, though. As for Pegasus…his gifts were always a hit and miss—and bro enjoys chucking them straight into the incinerator,” replied Mokuba. He emptied his drink and threw it to a nearby bin.

“Maybe something handmade, then?” Atem suggested. The other two muttered their assent. “Yeah, something personalized might be a better option!” Mokuba agreed. “Nice one, Atem!”

“Maybe I can drag the others so we can all make one gift for Kaiba,” Yugi thought. “What do you think, _aibou?_”

Atem stilled. That was not exactly what he had in mind. “Oh, I—I was hoping to separate mine.” And then he flushed spectacularly. Yugi’s eyes widened remarkably at that. Mokuba was grinning even wider.

“Well, that settles it then! All of us will be giving gifts to Seto!” the younger beta cried happily. “Let’s continue shopping!”

Atem thanked the gods for Mokuba’s tact, and he hoped Yugi did not read the underlying notion in his answer.

It was not a courting gift, per se. But it was still _personal. _

A personalized birthday gift for his alpha rival.

He was definitely looking forward to it.

***

_Days passed…_

Seto stretched behind his work desk at home. Mokuba had already left for Pegasus’ gala two hours ago. As usual, he had stayed behind to scrounge up whatever work he had left just to put up an excuse not to attend. Not that Mokuba needed an excuse from him. His own invitation lay unanswered inside one of his desk drawers and he was certain Pegasus was not even looking for him. Mokuba was enough as a company representative, and with both Mutous attending, Seto was sure his stakeholders would be happy enough (if they didn’t he couldn’t care any less).

His younger brother did look a tad bit defeated when he saw him off before Roland had whisked him away in a limousine. “You sure you’re not gonna catch up later, bro?”

“No,” Seto curtly replied. He reached out to straighten his brother’s lapel. Mokuba flashed him a grin. “I’ll definitely make you change your mind.”

The alpha merely huffed. “Not today, you little demon. Now scram.”

Mokuba stuck out his tongue at his brother before he slid in the car. “Not like you aren’t, Seto! Catch ya later!”

Seto preferred the solitude whenever his birthday came around. It might seem lonely for most people but he got used to it. Rest was the best gift he could give himself, after all.

_ [17:30 Atem Mutou:] _

_ See you both at the gala._

He did not reply to that. It’s not like he outright promised the pharaoh he would go to the gala anyway…

_Yeah, right_, Seto scoffed nastily.

Although it _did _nag at him in the back of his mind.

Gritting his teeth, he turned off the Solid Vision programs he was fiddling with and walked towards his mini-bar. After pouring himself two fingers worth of scotch, Seto downed the glass in a second. He rarely drunk liquor, but during these times he craved the burn and the bitterness down his throat. Something to distract what _agitation _he was feeling at the moment.

Especially since his calendar had just reminded him of his impending rut.

He knew he was not supposed to drink his suppressants with alcohol, so he would probably drink them the next day. _Happy birthday, I guess,_ Seto thought. He was pouring himself another glass when his message notification pinged and he swiped to see Mokuba sending him an attached file.

Cross that. _Files. _

Images at the party.

Seto was expecting selfies of Mokuba and pictures of food, but no. His younger brother had a different idea and chose to send him images of one Pharaoh Atem.

_ [21:32 Mokuba Kaiba:] _

_ Still not going, bro?_

Seto slammed down the glass as he zoomed in on the photos. Atem looked—_ethereal._ He was wearing a form fitting white tunic asymmetrically cut—landing short on his mid-thighs—which were lined with gold trimmings—over a pair of similarly white dress pants. They contrasted nicely with his tanned complexion—and paired with a deep purple sash creatively wrapped around his waist. The small pieces of jewelry he wore were subtle, but it completed the whole look. It was like almost seeing him again for the first time at the throne back in Aaru.

Glowing. Shining. Splendid. Like a king.

Seto swiped curiously at the images—ignoring the fact that he unconsciously wetted his drying lips just staring deeply at them. The nagging in the back of his mind returned, and he wanted none but to fly straight to the gala so he could ogle more at the omega pharaoh up close.

_ And maybe take a whiff of his scent as well…_

“Like hell I would,” Seto hissed to himself, but he continued to peruse the numerous photos with growing fascination.

Until his blue eyes landed at the last two photos which shot a surge of _anger_ and growing animosity within him.

He whirled back into his bedroom and opened the door to his huge walk-in closet. The alpha seized out the suit his stylist had prepped initially for the gala and hurriedly unzipped the cover.

Seto took a deep breath to calm himself as he stared at the stark, white tailored tuxedo within—the crisp, ironed cloth taunting him. He was not supposed to go. He knew he wouldn’t.

But after seeing_ that_.

_ That familiar peach-head. _

_ That Zigfried. _

That _fucking_ _Zigfried von Schroeder_—taking Atem’s hand—and _kissing _it—lit up something _fierce_ inside his chest.

Seto was not aware Pegasus would invite him. That flamboyant bastard.

Yeah, whatever. That asshole Schroeder might just be inviting the pharaoh for a dance—but not on his fucking watch.

_ Don’t touch him with your vile, dirty hands._

The alpha got dressed and fixed himself in record time. He’d be late—but at least fashionably late, as he checked his reflection on his huge wall mounted mirror. He rarely brushed back his hair, but he was out for blood tonight.

_ Looks like I will be eating my words tonight, Mokuba, _Seto thought as he prepped his Blue Eyes White jet for flight. _But thanks for the fucking headsup._

Pulse throbbing in predatory anticipation, Seto slid into the cockpit.

Suddenly, crashing a party seemed a perfectly good idea now.

Pre-rut be damned. He wouldn’t be playing nice tonight.


	5. Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I got a little too excited I wrote too fast. But here you go!

Mokuba gaped.

He was not expecting the Mutous to be decked in darnedest glory when he had arrived with Roland to pick them up. Yugi was wearing a dark gray three-piece suit which made him look more mature. The pale yellow necktie he chose to wore contrasted with his deep purple eyes. Plus, he even tried to tame his hair a little!

Atem, on the other hand, well—he’s dressed like the pharaoh he was. Mokuba was not expecting that the simple robe they had bought together would look spectacular on him—which was paired with a sash that was wrapped around his hip the same color as Yugi’s eyes. The gold jewelry he wore to accentuate his tanned features were seemingly making him glow. They almost dressed to complement each other!

_ Oh, if Seto could see him right now…_

“Hello, Mokuba. You look good!” Yugi greeted.

Mokuba grinned at them both, puffing his chest in pride at his white tux and lilac pants. “You guys, too!”

“Is your brother not coming?” Atem noticed as he slid inside the spacious limousine. Mokuba rolled his eyes in disappointment. “He said ‘no’…like usual. He was working again when I left him.” He saw the two frown. “But who knows? Maybe he’ll crash the party later once I send him tons of photos to make him jealous. After all the party will run till midnight.”

Yugi chuckled at that. “We better take a lot then!”

Atem smiled back wryly. Typical Kaiba. _And I even brought his birthday gift with me, _the omega thought morosely. Good thing that the gift he had made was quite small, which fit inside a makeshift satchel he attached hidden within the sash tied around his waist. Maybe he’d have Mokuba give it to the alpha when the night ends…

Unless he’d agree for a house visit. Which might be highly unlikely.

And since the invitation was not extended to their other friends, Atem did feel a little forlorn. Joey and the others would not be there to take his mind off his worries for the overworked alpha CEO…

_I hope he is well, _Atem thought, settling more comfortably into the plush leather seats.

“Alright! Can’t wait to indulge in good food!” Mokuba hollered, and the two laughed as Roland sped down the highway to their destination.

***

The gala was not held in Pegasus’ estate, as Atem would have assumed at first—but in some fancy five-star hotel near the outskirts of Domino city. The familiar blinding flashes of cameras greeted them as they had stepped out of the vehicle and onto the red-carpet entrance.

Atem was used to the paparazzi by now. He had learned to ignore and to hide from them when the need arose (that and he could always send them to the shadow realm if they tried to harass him and Yugi).

He could still vividly remember how awful it had been during the first month of his return. The omega could not even leave the house without a proper disguise or chaperone for that matter. The media were baffled at his mere person, and it was the top trending topic for the next two and a half months—until Seto Kaiba put a foot down to all the rumors and conspiracies. ‘_Fashion Forward: Yugi Mutou Going Tan!_’ was the most hilarious headline on the tabloids Atem could remember.

But since Yugi himself was already famous on his own, a distant relative—who also knew how to duel—would, of course, still catch the media’s attention. Although, this time around, Atem was the more—fashionable (and mysterious KC employee)—celebrity that kept the paparazzi busy.

Much more so now that this was the first time the press would legitimately witness him as an _omega_ in public.

Hordes of phones and mobile recorders almost blocked Atem’s path as they reached the entrance to the event hall. _The media indeed are quick, _the pharaoh thought. But Roland and the rest of the bodyguards were swift—and the paparazzi could no longer reach even a breadth of Atem’s hair.

_“Atem Mutou! Is it true you are a late presenter?”_

_ “How is it being an omega?”_

_ “Mr. Atem! How is it working in KC as an omega?” _

“Just ignore them, Atem,” Mokuba glared at them, as he handed their invitation at the concierge. Their bodyguards were doing their job efficiently and they had managed to pass through without any trouble.

Nevertheless, Atem could feel the heat of the other people’s gazes as he walked with Yugi and Mokuba.

_It could not be helped. I am not drinking any blockers, _Atem thought. Not that he needed to anyway. Mai was telling him he was actually becoming really good in managing his scent and pheromones to not bother the people around him. _You’re just one of those really eye-catching, terribly attractive ones—like me of course, _Mai would haughtily say. _If ‘exotically rare’ were a scent, that’d be you, Atem. _

However, these scent-affected strangers would only stare. And sniff, hopefully. They never tried to approach. Or were just probably scared. Atem still did exude that overwhelming, intimidating aura of a king. He was still a pharaoh through and through—and he would hold himself that way regardless of the dimension he was in.

Taking a deep breath, Atem straightened up his posture and relaxed his shoulders as the elevator doors pinged and opened to the penthouse venue.

***

“Yugi boy! Pharaoh my boy! So glad you could come.”

The tall form of Maximillion Pegasus, decked in a pale-rose coloured suit complete with a rose corsage attached to his lapel, strode over to the new arrivals with arms outstretched. “Welcome! Welcome! And Mokuba my boy! I presume your brother is not to be expected tonight?”

The young beta gave a noncommittal jerk of his head. “Dunno. Thanks for the invite by the way. So where’s the food?”

“Tsk, tsk, so impatient. It’s such a pity our dear Kaiba boy has not graced us with his presence,” Pegasus pouted. “Nonetheless, I am overjoyed that my guests of honor have arrived. Allow me to be your generous host for tonight. The Ishtars are over there, and they’re waiting for you. Come along.”

“Thank you for having us,” Yugi said meekly, adjusting his cuffs. Atem hummed his approval.

“I have to be frank—I was not expecting such an entourage tonight! You are bedecked to the highest glamourous standards, I’d say,” Pegasus simpered. “Especially you, pharaoh my boy.” His golden brown eye raked up and down Atem like a hawk eyeing its prey. “You should see _all the_ _stares_ _on you_ tonight.” And then he gave a wink.

The omega looked none the least bothered. Atem pursed his lips and raised his chin higher. “I dress like how I duel, Pegasus.”

“Always ready to win?”

“_With passion._”

“Indeed,” Pegasus beamed.

***

The food was superb. Mokuba always looked forward to the food in Pegasus’ galas every time. And now that he was with Yugi and Atem, the party would be even more enjoyable for him.

He usually stayed near the buffet area. It’s the surest way to avoid corporate bigwigs who liked to rub elbows with fellow rich people and talk about boring business and cheap gossip. As he picked at the fancy-looking appetizers, Mokuba almost had to apologize out loud watching Atem gather his own flock of curious guests. _Thank goodness Yugi is with him, _the beta thought. It couldn’t be helped. They had been branded as famous personalities of their own right.

His eyes darted at his discreet bodyguards hovering, scattered around the venue. If trouble ensued, they would be quick to jump into action. _Bro will kill me is something bad happens to ‘em,_ Mokuba chewed his canapés. _But I do hope they both enjoy the party as much as I do. _

The party was bustling, and quite lively. There was an orchestra playing (_Is that a famous opera singer I know? _Mokuba squinted at the distance), an open bar, and even a couple of interactive Duel Monsters sculptures (of the new releases) for the more inquisitive guests. Mokuba got to hand it to Pegasus to be creative in cooking up concepts for a party. Traditional formal gatherings were a bore—and the beta was pleased to know Pegasus thought so, too.

Atem and Yugi managed to break away from the gaggle of females that had approached them earlier and strode over to Mokuba who was busy mixing his own dessert plate.

“Wow, the food looks great here,” Yugi said as he surveyed the whole buffet spread (which ran a whole wall of the venue).

Atem nodded his assent. “I even see some Egyptian delicacies here.” His eyes widened excitedly at seeing the familiar flatbreads and bowls of savory stew.

“Pegasus did work in Egypt for quite some time. He always made sure their food’s always on the menu,” Mokuba grinned. “You guys were quite busy a while ago, huh? That’s a huge bevy of ladies you got.”

Yugi rubbed a hand to his nape, slightly blushing. “Well—they seemed nice. Plus some of them were omegas—mostly congratulating _aibou_ on his presentation_._”

Atem smiled serenely at that. “Indeed they were pleasant people.”

“There were actually a lot more waiting in line to talk with us, but we’re both getting hungry, so,” Yugi said. 

“Come on! Let’s eat!” Mokuba nudged the both of them.

After filling their plates from the numerous food choices laid out before them, the trio sauntered to their reserved table with the Ishtars. They spent a while chatting and enjoying their food before Marik offered his sister Ishizu to dance. Mokuba on the other hand, dragged Odion back to the buffet area so they could bring some more dessert for their table.

The center of the hall served as the main dance area, just a few feet away from the orchestra playing a waltz piece. There were a number of couples dancing and Atem saw Yugi eye them with slight longing.

“Missing Tea, _aibou?_” Atem asked.

Yugi gave out a wry smile and touched the bond mark on his neck. “Yeah, you could say that. I definitely would have invited her if she were here.”

“How is she doing overseas?”

“Oh, she’s doing really great! Said she’s going for all these auditions just in time for her graduation,” Yugi said happily. “So she could land in a dance company and maybe a break in her career!”

Atem’s smile was wide up to the ears. “I am happy to hear that, _aibou._”

“How about you, Atem? You seem a bit off tonight. Are you feeling all right?” Yugi asked softly. Atem lightly flinched at the question. Count on his partner to easily read through him. He took a sip from his wineglass, but he did not answer the alpha.

“Is it because of Kaiba not coming?”

Atem blanched at that. He fingered the stem of the glass and refused to look at his partner in the eye. “Am I that readable, Yugi?”

The alpha leaned back on the chair. “You’re the closest person to me, partner. I can at least surmise as much.” When the omega did not follow up, Yugi patted his arm consolingly. “Look, I won’t judge whoever you’re attracted to, Atem.” The pharaoh slowly looked up, his cheeks lightly tinged pink.

“Although I would be lying if I wasn’t surprised that it had to be Seto Kaiba,” Yugi chuckled softly. “You know…I felt ‘_that’_ during your presentation, Atem—and I know instincts wouldn’t lie. Plus, what you said during our shopping trip last time kind of made me put two and two together. I just want you to know that you can open up to me anytime about it.”

Those magenta eyes looked at him gratefully. “_Aibou…_”

“I know it’s hard, so don’t worry, I won’t tell Kaiba anything,” Yugi promised. “If he only weren’t so dense sometimes.” At those words, Atem had to grin. “Indeed, you are right.”

“Are you planning to, er, you know? Confess or something?”

A sharp spike of Atem’s scent seeped out, as he bit his lip in thought—but the omega shook his head. “I…am content with where I am right now, _aibou._ Seto Kaiba has his own priorities and I should, too.” He crossed his hands over his lap as he stared at the party around them. “I prefer to maintain the status quo. Knowing him—he would definitely brush me off if it came to that.”

Yugi felt a pang of pity for his partner at the admission, but he refrained from showing it. Did he read Kaiba’s reactions during that heat incident wrong? Their connection to each other was _strong_… Nonetheless, Yugi figured that it’s still better to avoid planting a false hope.

Yugi faced the omega with a renewed look of conviction and gripped his shoulder in support. “You know we’ll always back you up, all right, Atem? If Kaiba ever tries to hurt you, it’ll be more than a punch to the face that he’s going to get.”

Atem chortled over his red wine. “Oh, Yugi.” He closed a palm over his friend’s hand. “I think he would need to spend a time-out in the shadow realm if he did that to me.” And the both of them laughed. “Thank you very much, _aibou_.”

“Your welcome, Atem. You know, the night is still young. We should enjoy this party,” Yugi began to stand up. “Wanna try dancing?”

Atem suddenly looked nervous. “I—err—I have no knowledge of your world’s dances I’m afraid—“

“It’s all right! I’ll take the lead. Tea taught me a few moves the last time I visited her.”

“I am not certain I can follow—I might step on your feet,_ aibou_—“

“Ha, ha, ha! For the esteemed king of games—looks like there are some things you aren’t good at.”

“We are not perfect, _aibou,_” Atem pouted, but he let Yugi pull him towards the dance floor.

“I’ve got you, Atem_,_ don’t worry.”

***

Well, that felt enjoyable, nonetheless.

Atem managed to finish a waltz number with Yugi. He was not able to count how many apologies he had to whisper to Yugi’s new oxfords though. Nevertheless, he had to hand it to his partner—Tea did teach him well to dance properly.

“You did good, _aibou,_” Yugi patted his back appreciatively. Both of them were slightly breathless from all the giggles and laughs at their mistakes when they had danced. Atem was a poor learner.

“That was subpar, Yugi,” Atem blushed. “And there are a lot of spectators. I am not a good dancer—“

“I beg to differ.”

The two Mutous turned around at the sound of the voice cutting into their conversation. At first Atem thought that it was Pegasus. The tall form of the stranger was wearing a garish shade of pink for a suit, and was sporting a rose-patterned tie. Atem saw Yugi bristle slightly beside him. There was a strong flowery scent exuding from the man—and Atem realized, that he too, was an alpha.

It was Zigfried von Schroeder. An old opponent.

“That was quite a dance number,” he began. “It is such a pleasant surprise to see ze king of games in zis party,” von Schroeder said, holding out his hand to Yugi in greeting. “Long time, no see, Yugi Mutou. Congratulations on your bonding.”

“Zigfried von Schroeder,” Yugi nonetheless shook his hand back. “Thank you. How have you and your brother been?”

“Oh, we are boz doing well, same old business. Unfortunately, Leon is abroad for ze continuation of his duel studies,” Zigfried replied. His pale brown eyes then landed on Atem. “And who have we here? Zis lovely young man. A relative, perhaps?” And he smirked impishly.

“This is Atem Mutou. A distant cousin of mine from Egypt,” Yugi introduced warily. _You remember him, right, aibou?_

Atem caught his partner’s eye and gave a tiny nod. _Of course I do. Kaiba defeated him, after all. _

“A relative! I definitely see ze likeness,” Zigfried gasped. He reached out a hand to Atem. “I am Zigfried von Schroeder, Herr Atem. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Straining not to roll his eyes, Atem stretched his hand to shake Zigfried’s. Imagine his surprise when instead, the alpha bent down and gently planted his lips on the tops of his fingers.

Atem flushed spectacularly at the gesture.

No one—no _one_—had ever done such a thing to him in years. No one greeted him with such an old-fashioned gesture ever. Not ever since back in his old life as _royalty_. Atem could only swallow his surprise and lightly nod at the alpha back in greeting. “The pleasure is mine,” he muttered, feeling the heat creep back up to his cheeks as Zigfried pulled back—his smile widening and the scent of flowers growing stronger by the second.

Beside him Yugi’s eyes were wide as saucers and was clenching his jaw so tight. Zigfried still had not let go of Atem’s hand.

“May I steal your cousin?” von Schroeder suddenly asked Yugi.

“I’m sorry?” the smaller alpha almost looked scandalized.

Zigfried’s catlike grin only widened even more. “For the waltz, of course.”

Yugi looked over to his partner guardedly. “If Atem agrees—I guess—“ He was not one to be too overprotective—and this was a gala after all. At some point they would not only be dancing with each other, right?

The tall, redheaded alpha looked down at Atem. “May I have this dance?”

“Oh—I—“ Atem hesitated. “I am afraid I am a mediocre dance partner—“

Zigfried chuckled. “Nonsense. I have watched you and Herr Yugi dance togezer. You only need proper guidance.” He bowed deeper this time, holding Atem’s hand like it was made of glass. “Shall we?”

They were beginning to gather interested onlookers—and Atem had no choice but to reel in his sigh and agree. With a wary look back at Yugi, he let himself be swept by Zigfried onto the dance floor.

Yugi watched the two settle themselves in the middle of the dance floor. It was no contest that Zigfried was a far better dancer than he was, and he led Atem with ease. He halted a passing waiter and took a flute of champagne, downing it in one gulp. “I’d definitely prefer Kaiba over him any day.”

He certainly hoped the alpha would arrive in the gala tonight.

***

Mokuba knew that familiar longhaired redhead.

Memories of his match against his older brother years prior lit up his nerves in excitement seeing the German scion at that gala.

And when he saw him approach the Mutous near the dance floor, there was only one thing in mind. Mokuba put down his half-emptied bowl of gelato, turned on the camera feature on his portable techno-watch and began sneaking in snaps. 

_If this did not convince Seto to come, I’m eating my tie, _Mokuba sneered.

***

He’d get in the hotel in ten minutes’ tops.

Being airborne was so much quicker than slaving through the Friday night traffic. The hotel had swiftly confirmed his arrival on their rooftop helipad and Seto Kaiba was merely counting the seconds tick by.

Counting the seconds to let his mind off his growing agitation.

It did not help that during the whole flight Mokuba was still sending him photos. Photos of nothing but Atem and Zigfried. Dancing.

_Close _together and dancing. 

_Ping!_

Mokuba had just sent him another file. This time it was a video clip. Only eight seconds worth of Atem tripping onto Zigfried’s chest in the middle of the waltz. Nothing to be alarmed about.

_Yeah, right. _

Seto Kaiba growled, increasing the speed of his jet.

Fucking pharaoh. Not even knowing how to dance properly.

_Why would he attend a gala when he did not know how to dance a simple waltz?! Utter humiliation. And he chose to dance with that awful redhead to boot!_ Seto rewatched the clip and saw how the omega flushed within Zigfried’s arms after tripping over his feet.

_Fucking ridiculous._

His stomach churned horribly. Seto could feel the familiar pre-rut fever encroaching his skin. He shook his head and focused on the flight.

_Pharaoh._

Seto clenched his fists. The images would not leave his mind’s eye. _Keep your dirty hands and hair away from him, Zigfried._

Curiously enough, his inner alpha seemed to inflate even more in approval at that thought.

_T-minus three minutes._

Kaiba could see the lights on the hotel helipad.

He prepped for landing.

***

Outside, the hotel management were suddenly scrambling around in panic.

A sudden call from one Seto Kaiba sent everyone in a mild state of emergency. This did not escape the watchful eyes and ears of the paparazzi loitering about—and with a couple of radio and phone tips of a flying dragon jet outside, every able-bodied journalist was ready and poised to shoot, waiting at the entrance to the penthouse.

One did not simply miss Seto Kaiba attending a high-class gala publicly after so long. This was front page material!

***

Zigfried was not daft to not recognize the famously mysterious Atem Mutou from a distance.

Of course he had heard of him from afar. He was not just expecting the distant relative of Yugi Mutou would be such an adorable omega!

It was interesting to see the myriad of expressions that the other Mutou would exhibit as he steered them both in the dance floor. Although, of course he could not help but notice the nagging feeling that he had seen him before. _Curious,_ Zigfried thought. _I swear I zink I have met him before…_

_Or maybe it’s because he looks so much like Yugi_, he realized. _He’s not much of a talker, this one._

“Oh! I sincerely apologize,” Atem mumbled, after tripping on his stylist shoes for the tenth time. Zigfried merely chuckled, straightening the omega once again after falling onto his chest. _He does have such an appealing scent,_ Zigfried would discreetly inhale lungfuls of his sweet, spicy scent. _I wonder if someone is already courting him…_

His thoughts were cut short when suddenly Atem seemed a bit heavier to lead through the waltz. He looked down to see that the omega had completely stilled. His hold on his shoulders had slackened and his magenta eyes were staring straight behind him—shock and disbelief reflected in them.

And then Zigfried could hear the growing buzz of their fellow attendees. He turned around towards the direction of the distraction, and saw a familiar tall, white-clad figure walking from the entrance doors.

It was as if things were in slow motion.

The scent from Atem just got even stronger—sweet and cloying—and Zigfried had to restrain himself from breathing too much of it. _Why did he suddenly—? _

And then it hit him.

Looking at Atem’s glassy-eyed face—petrified—towards the direction of one Seto Kaiba—who was slowly being surrounded by thrilled guests—gave Zigfried the answer.

_Mein Gott. He already has somevun else in mind. _

He let go of the hand supporting Atem’s back, and watched the omega do the same, stepping away from his space for a better look at the newcomer. He seemed to have forgotten about Zigfried and their dance.

The alpha had to hide his grin behind his palm. _This…is some discovery. _

Now he wondered if Kaiba were the same.

He looked to where his fellow alpha CEO was held up by the eager crowd and felt a chill run upwards his spine as Seto locked gazes with him.

_Oh._

That was not a mere look of recognition.

Zigfried maintained his sneer. He knew that gaze.

And he could almost smell the resentment that came along with it.

_I vant to see how zis unfolds,_ Zigfried thought excitedly as Seto Kaiba began to pierce through the circle of guests to walk towards them.


	6. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im getting to the good parts aaa  
happy pridecember! it's been an exhausting few weeks for my burned out ass. thanks for the avid support! keep the comments coming and hopefully i belch out more before the decade ends!!!

The moment _that familiar _scent hit him, Atem stopped.

His eyes darted curiously around the dance floor—until he found the source. There was a growing crowd near the entrance—and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who had arrived.

_It can’t be…_

Clad in white, with one side of his hair swept back to expose more of his ear and jawline, Seto Kaiba towered over everyone else—his dark blue gaze fierce underneath the blinding lights. He decided to leave out a tie this time, and his pale neck and collarbones peeked out deliciously out of the pale blue shirt he wore.

Atem felt his cheeks heat up. It was the first time he ever saw Kaiba sport a different look and by the gods did he appear even more handsome! It did not help that the alpha was oozing a ridiculous amount of pheromones that moment—and his scent! The fragrance was far stronger than before!

The pharaoh’s shoulders shook as he took slow breaths, inhaling that overwhelming scent he grew to love. If Kaiba were always like this during such galas, Atem would be more than happy to attend every single one. How his heart soared when Kaiba appeared! He was already accepting his absence—but this was a welcome surprise. He could just stare at him the whole night…

_“Mr. Seto Kaiba! What a pleasant surprise!”_

_ “Your arrival is truly unexpected!”_

_ “May we ask who you’re wearing tonight?”_

Atem felt Zigfried’s grip on him lessen, and he inched forward—their dance long since forgotten. He wanted to approach him—greet him—but his feet seemed rooted to the ground and he could only gaze at the alpha being surrounded by a crowd of interested guests and paparazzi.

He spent quite a while there, conversing with random important people—unimpressed by the continuous blinding flashes of cameras around. Atem even thought he would not be able to see him alone without a crowd trailing until Kaiba shrugged them away and started to walk towards them.

“Bro!”

Both Atem and Zigfried turned at Mokuba zooming across the floor towards his brother—rapidly engulfing him in a hug. “I knew you’d come! Hehe—did you like the photos I sent—“

“Shut up, Mokuba.”

His younger brother only cackled up at him and loosened his hold. The alpha CEO merely gritted his teeth, turned his head to regard his fellow alpha, Zigfried, whose smile was wide enough to reach both ears. At that point their bodyguards had begun to prevent insistent photographers from entering their proximity—and the blinding flashes disappeared in mere seconds.

“Seto Kaiba. Pleasure to see you here,” Zigfried cooed.

“Schroeder. I see you’re still sporting that ugly hair of yours.”

The peach-haired alpha merely let out a tinkling laugh. “And I see you’re still so fond of my hair, Herr Kaiba.” He flicked his locks behind his shoulders haughtily.

“So you acknowledge how ugly it is?” Seto rolled his eyes.

“Semantics,” he flipped his hair again, flashing his alpha fangs at him in a slight snarl. “And what brings you to zis year’s party, Seto Kaiba? Need a little air from your hidey-hole? Enjoy ze outdoors?”

Kaiba did not even flinch. “Oh, I most certainly do. Except I am not here to _enjoy _the _polluted air from you_, Schroeder.”

“How da—”

Mokuba chose this time to distract Zigfried and leave his brother and the pharaoh alone. _I gotta give him some time with Atem!_ “Hey, Zigfried! Isn’t that opera singer German? I think I’ve heard about her—can you introduce me? My Deutsch is rusty—” And he dragged the alpha away from Seto and Atem before he could spout out another word. The pharaoh caught the beta’s wink as he whisked the other alpha with him to the other side of the hall.

Wetting his slightly drying lips, Atem slowly looked up as Seto finally regarded him.

It was swift—but the pharaoh felt a bizarre electricity run up his spine as they locked gazes. He strained not to gulp so noticeably and nodded in greeting at the alpha. Was it only the trick in the light, or did Atem see his dark blue eyes soften a little at him?

“Kaiba.”

“Pharaoh.”

“You changed your hair.”

“And I see you haven’t,” Seto’s lip twitched upwards. Atem breathed out a little easier at that remark. _By Ra, why do I feel so nervous all of a sudden?_

“I thought…you were not going to come at all,” Atem said. He paused a passing waiter to grab champagne for them both. He needed to do something with his now sweaty hands and handed out the other one to Kaiba. Atem hoped he would not notice the slight tremble in his fingers.

Seto, on the other hand, was only looking straight down at him with an unreadable expression. His blue-eyed gaze was enough to make the hairs on his nape stand up in attention. The alpha CEO took the champagne without looking at it. “He’s not giving you any trouble, is he?”

Atem paused, a bit confused. “Oh?” _Ah. Zigfried. _“Oh, no, no. Zigfried von Schroeder did nothing of the sort. He—just danced with me a while ago.”

“Hn.”

_Was that a vein popping near his jaw?_ The omega thought. “A-Are you all right, Kaiba?” Atem asked, leaning in closer to him in concern. “You seem a little flushed…” Surprisingly enough, the alpha was not minding the distance at all. Atem inwardly reveled at catching a glimpse of skin underneath his open collar. _Ra, he smells amazing!_

The alpha downed the champagne in one gulp, with which the smaller man discreetly watched his adam’s apple bob as he drank. “Of course I am. It’s just stuffy here.” Atem nodded at that, and also took a sip. “Do you—do you want to try going to the veranda? Take a small breather? The rose gardens are breathtaking there tonig—”

“Mister Seto Kaiba!”

Both of them turned at the distraction and Atem cursed under his breath as he saw a rotund man bedecked in gold and jewels approach them. A tall, curvy female omega trailed right behind him (if what her rather imposing scent told Atem as much). With the same (insane) amount of jewels and fluffy blond hair, the pharaoh was certain they were father and daughter.

“So glad to see you here tonight!”

“Ah. From D Company, isn’t it?” Seto answered monotonously. Atem almost thought that he would deny the hand being offered to him, but Kaiba shook it in greeting nonetheless. Atem surmised that D company could be among the list of KC’s biggest investment partners to actually get the attention of Kaiba in a party he loathed to attend.

The D Company CEO was beginning to round up a boring business drivel—with lots of difficult, foreign words—and Atem felt it rude to stay there any longer. He caught Seto’s eyes and muttering a hasty “I’ll just be over there”, he slipped back onto the crowd.

Atem almost felt pity with leaving Seto on his own like that—because he could basically smell the irritation and hesitancy in the alpha when he walked away from their little huddle.

_My apologies, Kaiba. _Atem thought, sitting back down in their reserved table. He hoped Kaiba would not stay and talk to them too long…He could have invited his alpha rival for a nice chat outside and maybe he could have also given his birthday gift!

Wrong.

They were definitely taking their damn sweet time.

Atem had declined any more dances from his friends and opted to indulge in desserts while watching Seto Kaiba at the corner of his eye, hoping that he would find a window of opportunity to take him back (_Why did that sound different, _Atem thought irritably). At some point the D Company CEO had then introduced his daughter to Seto to which he even accepted the lady’s hand in greeting! Atem felt his chest constrict uncomfortably at the sight. 

He began tapping on his phone in annoyance.

_Shall I go to them? They have been at it for thirty minutes! _Atem thought. _There are a lot of other interested onlookers as well…I might lose this chanc—wait—wait—is he—is he taking her to dance?!_

Atem watched aghast as Seto led the woman to the dance floor. Was she so important to earn a dance from Seto Kaiba? Was Mokuba seeing this? There was a growing buzz from the crowd and for sure this would surely be news! A space was left out for the both of them on the dance floor—like the others were fearful of breaching their path. Atem pursed his lips and decided to research on his phone. They were a sight for sore eyes. Inasmuch as he’d want to look at Seto, he couldn’t bear to see him _too _close with that woman.

_How much is the worth of this D Company anyway for Kaiba to actually indulge them? _The seconds felt far too long…and the waltz wasn’t even nearing its peak movement.

Atem was too engrossed browsing for articles and scouring the company’s website for a few minutes, that he almost dropped his phone in surprise when a hair-raising growl pierced the air.

For a second, the omega froze in dread. It was such a familiar sound—but he could not be certain—until he heard Mokuba’s cry from far away.

_“Big bro!”_

At that point, Atem almost flew out of his chair.

***

“…this is my second daughter—I hope you both can get along—”

Blah.

“—to meet you, Master Seto Kaiba—”

Blah. Blah.

Words were flying in and out of his ear—leaving no interest to him at all. Seto Kaiba was once again reminded why he disliked working with this CEO. If only they did not have such a nice advantage with his other dealings, he would drop them without any further cause. And he brought his daughter with him. How many children did he have? He could vaguely remember the other ones. Marriage offers were no strange concept to him, and this was one of too many.

_This fat idiot did not even notice I’m not even answering his too fucking long stories. Goes to show he doesn’t even pause to listen to his fellow conversationalist, _Seto thought, displeased. _I’m simply another ear he can boast his shit on. Like every other rich bastard in this bloody party who wants to rub elbows with me._

He watched boredly at how the D Company CEO waved his short stubby, bejeweled fingers at him in animated gestures about some topic he completely missed. _Just think of his fatter company stocks—this is fine. This is fucking fine—_

“—why don’t you both enjoy the night and dance together?—”

_What. _

_Did this bastard just offer a dance from me without even asking for my consent? _Seto inwardly seethed. The omega was already reaching out her hand to him. _The nerve._ Kaiba gritted his teeth and snuck a glance at the people around him who were watching.

_If only you were not worth millions of dollars in my investments, I won’t be keeping up with this PR bullshit, _the alpha thought petulantly to himself as he wordlessly began to lead her to the dance floor. _After this, I’m fucking leaving. _

“Quite a rare occurrence to actually dance with Seto Kaiba,” the omega simpered at him, flashing her too-white teeth. “I am such a lucky lady.” _What the fuck was her name again? Oh well, who cares, _Seto frowned at her, reading between her words. “Don’t feel so special. You’re not.”

The lady’s eyes hooded under too-thick fake eyelashes widened remarkably, but she regained her composure, and leaned in closer—her long acrylic fingernails scratching lazily at the alpha’s shoulders. “You’re only being this nice for appearances only, huh? That’s too bad…aren’t you enjoying this as much as I do?” She purred. She fucking _purred._ And despite encountering quite a number of omegas in his life, Seto rarely ever heard one purr for him. But for some reason—her purr did not feel quite right to him.

Just a senseless rumble.

Seto scowled as they smoothly went around the dance floor. She was quite a good dancer, nonetheless. If only she did not keep pushing her rather endowed bosom up to him during their closer dance twirls. It felt creepy.

“So you purr like that with every alpha you meet? Sounds like a garbage truck to me.”

The woman visibly bristled at that statement. The flirty demeanor she had been exhibiting the whole time quickly evaporated and she hissed at him in a whisper. “You insult me, Seto Kaiba!” Her grip on his shoulder and hand tightened as they continued the dance. “With that attitude there’s no wonder no_ one_ takes you during _your ruts.”_

Seto’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of ruts and the woman gloated. “Oh yes, Mister Kaiba, I can _smell_ your delicious rut right now,” she whispered seductively. “I could almost taste it, you know. I wonder how many others can sense it like I do? And with an open collar too—! You’re basically inviting all of us~” And she licked her lips slowly up at him.

The alpha was having none of it, though. His dark blue eyes bore onto her like shards of ice.

“With a mouth running like that—I realize why no one’s knotted you either,” Kaiba snapped, with a grace of a well-oiled chainsaw. “They’d prefer that potty mouth of yours over—.” He gave her a quick once over, then gave a noncommittal tilt of his head_. _“—whatsoever you have down there.”

The woman could only gape at him after that unexpected retort—her face reddening with anger and humiliation. Seto could almost see strands of her curls beginning to untangle themselves from their hold. _Don’t try me, woman._

As the alpha prepared for the final twirl to quickly end the dance—the lady omega suddenly closed their distance—wrapping her wiry arms around him. Seto was not able to react quickly as she drew him down and he felt that foreign skin come into contact with his exposed neck—

Bile began to rise up in his throat as the woman quickly scented him. With a rather loud growl—Seto pushed her away—fangs bared in a snarl.

_“Big bro!”_ His growl sent Mokuba rushing past the slowly gathering crowd, calling their bodyguards to action.

Seto stared down angrily at the woman who landed on her backside with the force of his shove. _“How—dare—you—mark—me?!!!”_

Everybody else shrunk away from Kaiba—as they felt the onrush of fuming pheromones. There was a cold silence—even the orchestra had stopped playing to see what the fuss was about. The bodyguards were quick to respond to Mokuba’s calls. Two had already appeared to flank Seto Kaiba, and another two had approached to help the woman on her feet—although they did not let go of their hold on her. Phones were being visibly taken out—recording the whole fiasco.

The woman did not wither away from Kaiba’s deathly stare—but her hands were shaking. If alpha compulsion were real—Seto would have sent her cowering to her knees, baring her neck for forgiveness.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Seto asked, each word laced with venom. Seeing the mischief and haughtiness reflected in her eyes made him want to vomit.

“Scenting lasts a whole month at the least. Enjoy it,” she had the audacity to blow him a kiss.

“Hey—!” Mokuba started in alarm, but his older brother held up a hand to stop him.

“I know.” The alpha then turned his back on her. The woman appeared to see this as a win. “I’ll see you around, Seto Kaiba. You’ll miss an omega’s scent one way or another. Especially when you’re in a RUT.” Another collective gasp from the crowd. More camera clicks and snaps. She made sure to increase her voice to emphasize the word.

“Oh, I won’t be seeing you. Ever.” Seto snapped, and he flicked up his wrist to activate his tech. “_A.I_. Pull out _all _my stocks from D Company,” the alpha announced with a flourish.

At that, he heard her audibly gasp—even drowning out the other people who reacted. The telltale clicks of cameras and flashes were all around them. There was a screech of her heels on the floor. Probably to try to run up to him and to claw at him, but she was still restrained by the guards. “You take that back, Seto Kaiba!!”

The alpha ignored her. “Mokuba. Fill in your kill codes. I’ve already confirmed mine.”

“A-Are you sure, bro? But the investments—”

“Just do it.”

There was a series of beeping sounds and after a few seconds, Kaiba flicked away his program. He cast one last look behind him at the woman and her father who was shaking down to his expensive shoes—trying to plead at him to give them a second chance.

“Be thankful I did not file charges for harassment. I’m done here.”

And with that he strode away, with Mokuba panicking at his heels and the crowd erupting all around them.

***

Atem was sordidly confused at the scene.

Yugi had motioned at him to follow the Kaibas out of the hullabaloo, with the Ishtars behind them. “The paparazzi will probably hold us up if we stayed longer, _aibou._” At least they would be safe with the Kaibas’ guards.

“What happened?” Marik Ishtar had asked. He was still holding an unfinished glass of liquor from the party.

“Someone had apparently harassed Seto Kaiba,” Odion discreetly looked over his shoulder as they slipped away. The noise from the gathering had gone back up. Everyone was talking about what had transpired.

“This night could have turned for the worse,” Ishizu commented as they all saw the paparazzi stubbornly trying to catch the Kaibas as they neared the elevators. Thankfully, the bodyguards had cordoned off their path. “Is this a normal occurrence?” she asked Yugi.

The smaller Mutou only shrugged. “Can’t really say. But I guess when you’re famous, these things tend to get attracted to you.” He sighed. “Well, it’s definitely late. We should go home.”

“We should see to the Kaibas first,” Atem suggested.

“You’re right, Mokuba’s our ride out of here after all,” Yugi agreed.

Atem hoped that Seto Kaiba was all right. He could smell the fury coming from afar—and his omega droned in bubbling agitation.

***

“Kaiba boy.”

The brothers stopped at the sound of Pegasus’ voice. He stood just a few feet away from the executive elevators. “Allow me to apologize for the—“

“The ones who need to apologize aren’t you, Pegasus,” Seto scoffed. “Now, get out of the way. I’m going home.”

Pegasus did not look the least bit miffed. He flashed a sleek black card in front of his fellow alpha. “At least accept my offer of a king suite for you both to stay in tonight. I even have rooms reserved for our other VIPs.” He smiled as he caught sight of Yugi and the others a distance away. “Are you in the right state to fly your dragon tonight, Kaiba boy? Your scent is already _cloying._” And he wrinkled his nose in emphasis. “Who knows what further accidents might happen…”

“Shut up, Pegasus!”

Mokuba looked up at his brother pityingly. “Seto, I think you should stay here and see your rut through—you’re already having a fever!” his beta brother whispered up at him as he held to his hand.

Seto gritted his teeth. He would have wanted to decline the offer, but only the adrenaline and willpower were holding him up at this point. If only that bitch from D Company kept her manners—his alpha pheromones would not go haywire like this from her forced scenting. He was reacting to an omega’s touch—and despite his disgust at her—his body was now craving for a mate during his rut.

As if he’d let the media witness him lose control in public. Not tonight.

“Give me that,” Seto grunted, swiping the card off Pegasus’ fingers.

“Just three floors down. 2402,” Pegasus said. “Here’s yours, too, Mokuba boy.” The younger beta yelped as he almost missed the card that was tossed at him. “Thanks, Pegasus!”

Just as the elevator doors closed over the siblings, Yugi and the others caught up. “Did we miss them?” he asked Pegasus. The silver-haired alpha only smiled, before fishing out more cards from the inside of his coat. “I strongly suggest you gentlemen, and lady, to spend the night here. And after tonight’s fiasco? I think everyone is in need of dire rest in private.”

“Oh! Uh, okay, Pegasus,” Yugi mumbled, turning over the glossy hotel key in his hand. “You didn’t have to,” he mumbled shyly.

“Worry not, it’s my job as your gracious host. You are all in one floor with the Kaibas,” Pegasus explained. He rounded to Atem and added, his Cheshire cat grin growing wider, “He’s in the King’s Executive Suite 2402, three floors down, should you need to drop by and _help._” The pharaoh’s lip twitched, but he said nothing.

“The elevator is now available, sirs!” a bodyguard called out.

“I shall see you all in the morning,” Pegasus gave them a small bow. “Now I must attend to the rest of our guests and appease them. Have a good evening.”

They all filed into the elevator, leaving the ruckus that had become of the party. “Well, that was quite eventful,” Marik commented. He drained what’s left of the now warm cocktail in his hand.

“It’s better that we be away from all that trouble, I daresay,” Odion said.

Ishizu nodded. “I do hope Seto Kaiba would be well.” There was a communal nod and mutters of ‘yes’. The doors opened and a long luxurious hallway opened up to them. Their rooms were in different directions. “Looks like we have to separate now, Yugi, my pharaoh. Please do have a good night’s rest,” Marik said.

“You too, guys,” Yugi nodded. Atem smiled at them gratefully. They watched the Ishtars walk to the left side of the hall and disappear into their own respective suites. Yugi stared down at their own hotel card. “Well, I guess we should retire for the night now, huh, _aibou_?”

“Hm…yes. I reckon so too…” Atem said slowly. However, he could not help but still worry. The King’s Suite was just across their own designated room—and the pharaoh wanted to at least check up on Kaiba. The gold plaque label of 2402 glinted underneath the lights tauntingly down at him…

“Atem? Don’t you want to come in?”

The pharaoh shook away from his thoughts. He was standing quite long at the entryway, staring at their neighbor’s door. He was just about to follow Yugi inside when the door to said executive suite opened and a tuft of familiar black hair went out.

“Oh! Atem and Yugi! Didn’t expect to see you both here,” Mokuba said as he closed the burnished white door. Atem strained not to whimper at the fragrant scent of an alpha in rut that got out of the room. “I see Pegasus offered you guys some lodgings, huh?”

“Yes, it was rather generous of him,” Atem replied. Yugi nodded. “Are you going to turn in for the night, too, Mokuba?” the smaller Mutou asked.

The beta shrugged. “Yeah…in a bit, I guess—but—uh—“ He eyed the two nervously.

“Is there something wrong? Is Kaiba all right?” Atem asked. Mokuba bit his lower lip hesitantly, shuffling his shoes. And then he suddenly took the pharaoh’s hands.

“Atem. I have a _big_ favor to ask of you,” Mokuba said. “I think we all should go in first,” Yugi offered, opening the door wider for them both. The beta agreed and followed the two Mutous inside.

“What is it, Mokuba?” Atem asked.

Mokuba took a deep breath. “I-I know it’s improper to ask _you_ specifically but—Seto’s being stubborn—and I don’t think a fellow alpha’s scent would do the trick anyway—so I’d thought—“

“Whoa, whoa, wait, Mokuba, can you explain what has happened?” Yugi interjected. “We are a bit confused.”

Mokuba sniffed. “Well, y’see—incidentally, bro’s in a pre-rut right now—wonder why he didn’t even try to tell me before. I would have understood more if he used this as the reason why he couldn’t come to this gala.” He tapped his foot in frustration.

“Anyway, the lady from D Company caught of it, and harassed him by forcefully scenting him—and you know how marking works. That scent won’t come off for a couple of weeks right? Bro would be smelling like that woman for a whole month and he’s throwing a huge fit ‘cause of it—trying to scrub at his neck the whole time to the point of scraping the skin off it,” Mokuba explained.

“But…it won’t really go off unless someone else replaces it,” supplied Yugi.

Mokuba nodded. “Exactly. He—er—kinda said he’d rather have another alpha like Yugi replace the scent than slave the next whole month with that lady’s mark.” Yugi visibly jerked at that. 

“But I don’t think that’ll work,” continued Mokuba. “For one, you’re already mated—and two—I’m pretty sure you won’t agree.” And he grinned wryly at the alpha. Yugi sighed, but he hummed his agreement. “Y-yeah—it’s pretty awkard to actually do that—“ He turned to the pharaoh who was quietly listening beside him. “So—uh—I take it, _that’s_ the favor you’re asking of _aibou?_”

Mokuba gripped Atem’s hands. “I’m so sorry, Atem. Please help big bro! I don’t know what he’ll do and I’m super worried for him! And—and—I’ve made sure he’s injected his suppressants now so you’ll be safe from any physical harm—You’d just be in there for a minute—“

“Mokuba, why me, though—“

“You’re the closest one he’d ever have as a worthy adversary,” Mokuba said determinedly. “We would not have persevered looking for your Millenium Puzzle if he didn’t mean to you somehow.”

Atem felt his cheeks heat up spectacularly at those words. _But it’s a rut…Seto Kaiba might not be in the most reasonable state there is. I would not want to resort to another mind crush!_

_ But…_

The thought of marking _the _possible mate of his dreams made his skin crawl possessively.

“Did he even _want_ for _me_ to do that? Did he not say he preferred Yugi’s?” Atem alleged. Mokuba shook his head. “I argued with him that I’d bring _anyone_ who would be willing—just to make him stop scratching at his neck. You would be the best choice, Atem.”

The pharaoh sincerely hoped he would be.

“I…simply need to replace the scent, am I right?” the omega asked hesitantly, looking warily at both Yugi and Mokuba.

“Uhuh!”

“We’ll wait for you by the doors so if anything happens, help will be there asap,” Yugi consoled him.

Gulping lightly, Atem nodded slowly. “Lead the way, please.”


	7. Scenting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it. has. arriveeedd!!!

Seto Kaiba wanted to punch the bathroom wall.

Now that he was alone, the weight of the frustration and irritation from earlier’s incident had reared its ugly head. The alpha wanted to scream his lungs out at the disgust—the denial—of some freaking stranger he had no interest in that got the better of him and _marked _him like a mate! Only a feeble thread of reason in his conscience held him in place to not trash the expensive suite from the rage that was boiling inside him.

_That bitch._

He had rid himself of his top and coats, stepped into the huge shower area still in his pants in a hurry to wash away—to lessen—that horrible scent the woman had left on him. Seto scrubbed at his neck until his skin turned pink—doused himself with oils and perfume provided on the bathroom marble countertop, and still he could smell her on him.

_Fucking damn it._

He continued scrubbing aggressively.

“Seto! Seto! Stop doing that! You’ll wound yourself!” his younger brother barged in. He stopped him—pulled him out of the bathroom—and urged him to change into drier clothes. “Your whole neck looks sunburnt—please—you’re going to peel your skin off at this point!”

“That—bloody—scent—won’t come off,” Seto seethed, his fists clenched in fury as Mokuba led him out of the showers. His head was swimming—dizzy with the encroaching rut fever. His younger brother had guided him to sit on the huge bed, and gave him a towel to dry himself with.

“Did you bring your suppressants, bro? You’re risking yourself with that amount of pre-rut exposure in public!”

“...haven’t drunk one yet,” Seto admitted tersely, his lip twitching. “I drank some liquor, so—”

Mokuba shook his head. “I meant, before you came here, of course!” Seto stayed silent, his eyes looking everywhere but at his younger sibling. The beta could already imagine his brother indulging in their household alcohol _again._ His shoulders sagged and he shook his head at him. Scolding him about drinking liquor during his ruts was moot at this point.

“Did you at least bring your injectables?” Mokuba sighed. “At least they’re safer regardless if you drunk any alcohol or not.” The alpha tilted his head towards the crumpled suit coat on the floor. “It’s in the inner chest pocket.”

“It will not come off easily you know,” the beta said sadly, picking up the coat and fishing the injectable suppressant out. “If only I could cover that scent myself…” Betas had no unique scent of their own as individuals—only an identifying fragrance that indicated that they were of this dynamic. They would not be able to cover the mark that an omega or an alpha would have done on a person.

Seto snorted, taking the small epipen-like suppresant from his brother and piercing it directly on his left arm without so much as a wince. “I was careless. I let my guard down—and look where it got me.” He hissed, restraining himself to scratch at this already pink scent glands again. “She bloody _stinks_!”

Mokuba watched his brother with poignant eyes. He could smell the acrid rush of the alpha’s distaste in the air. The younger beta wanted to help, truly, but there was only one thing that could help solve the problem—and that would be to—

“…you’re thinking of asking help from _them_, aren’t you, Mokuba?” Seto cut through his thoughts, as if he could read them.

Mokuba crossed his arms. “What else is there to do? I can’t really leave you here alone to claw at your scent glands. I might return to a potential murder scene. I know how sensitive your skin is, Seto!”

The alpha rolled his eyes. “You watch too many horror films.” But he pursed his lips and pondered. “I think…I’m going insane just thinking about that bitch’s scent following me to work.” He took another deep, shuddering breath. “Damn this, I should have filed charges, too—"

“Look, bro. I can ask Ate—”

“—at this point even the thought of Yugi as a substitute scent seems tempting enough already. Shit,” Seto hit the mattress with his fists. Mokuba gaped at his brother exasperatedly. His older brother must be deeply upset to actually include Yugi in the conversation. Mokuba knew how touchy Seto was when it come to personal matters and he would never include the dweeb squad in any such topic.

“But Yugi’s already mated—”

“I don’t care. I’d rather have—” he winced, and he clutched his head from a sudden bout of dizziness. He’d definitely rather have _the pharaoh_—but as if he’d let his younger brother know that. His pride wouldn’t let him—plus—just because Atem was the only _available_ omega he knew did not mean that Atem would want to. Just managing to take a whiff of his scent at the gala was plenty for him. Maybe.

“I need to get rid of—that—sniveling—woman’s stench! Tsk.” He poked and prodded at his sensitive glands with fangs bared.

“Stop, Seto. Come on, leave your scent glands alone,” The beta pulled his hand away from his neck. “Then, any _willing _person would do, wouldn’t it? You can’t do anything at this point anymore,” Mokuba supplied. “I’m going to ask our friends for help—” and he proceeded to leave the bedroom.

“Mokuba—wait—”

“We only have limited options, Seto,” Mokuba glanced back at him determinedly, as he hovered near the doorway of his room. “I’m worried about you.” And with that he left.

Seto could only gape at his disappearing back and heard the lock click from far away.

***

“Zat was quite ze damage control, Herr Pegasus,” Zigfried commented as he watched the gala proceed as if nothing scandalous had happened earlier. The orchestra had continued playing and couples littered the dance floor once more. The Industrial Illusions head merely let out a satisfied hum and fingered the stem of his wineglass.

“I would not be living up to my name if I did not know how to take care of such scenarios, Mister Schroeder. These things happen all the time.”

“But not to Seto Kaiba.”

Pegasus took a sip. “Indeed. The press must be having a field day. I reckon this will be front page news tomorrow morning.”

“It is, however, already trending on social media, zough,” Zigfried absentmindedly scrolled at his mobile phone.

“It can’t be helped. The articles are being drafted as we speak, and my secretary is already up to his ears with emails from the media for a headsup on news releases,” Pegasus said. “Not that I care too much—it’s good publicity for the gala after all.”

“Kaiba being harassed as good publicity? You appall me,” teased Zigfried, but there was a quirk of a sneer on his lips.

Pegasus laughed. “Oh, no, no. Not in that angle. I am talking about Kaiba boy gracing the gala, of course. Whatever happened afterwards was of no concern to me. Good riddance to that company, however. At least I know where to take my business elsewhere after that.”

“Indeed. I wonder what Herr Kaiba would do to zat scenting. I might not be fond of him, but I would hate to have zat done to me as well.” Zigfried crossed his legs luxuriously underneath their shared VIP table. “It must be horrible to be marked by a stranger.”

“I agree. Harassments like that are horrible—but I am certain Kaiba boy already has a solution.”

Zigfried did not miss the glint in his eye. “_Ze ozer Mutuo_.”

“Oho? So you noticed as well? I expected nothing less,” the silver-haired alpha grinned. “I am glad I am not the only one.”

“Sometimes I curse my advanced sense of smell. I know a perfect mated pair when I see vun,” Schroeder returned the smile. “It is, however, quite disappointing zat zey are not boz aware.”

“That’s exactly why it is fun,” Pegasus cooed. “It is a game Kaiba boy has never played—and he will fail spectacularly at it.”

Zigfried chuckled. “I would have taken a part in zat game, just to shake zings up a little—but alas, fate has ozer plans.” He remembered the transfixed gaze of Atem during their dance—and the oozing omega fragrance that reached out, but not to him.

“You are not alone, Mister Schroeder,” nodded Pegasus. “We are mere spectators in this new game of theirs.”

“Fate, it seems, is not wizout a sense of irony indeed,” closed Zigfried.

***

The door to Kaiba’s suite suddenly looked foreboding.

Atem licked his lips and exhaled. He slid the key in its slot. He could smell faint traces of Seto’s anxious pheromones through the white paneling. The lock clicked and the door opened.

The alpha’s strong scent was all over the place. Atem gritted his teeth as the fragrance washed over him like a tidal wave. He looked back at Yugi and Mokuba who nodded to him firmly.

“We’ll just be here. Give us a shout if something happens,” Yugi assured him.

Mokuba squeezed his arm encouragingly. “His bedroom is still a bit farther in. If his scent’s too strong for you, you can always back out.”

“Alright,” Atem nodded. He slowly walked out of the receiving area towards the inner part of the luxurious suite. _What an incredibly huge place,_ Atem observed. He could see many branching smaller rooms beyond.

The pharaoh could determine the strongest scent coming from one of the doors scattered around the suite. Quietly, he walked towards the door in the middle. He looked back to where the entrance had been. It would take him a little bit of a walk (or jog) if he needed to escape quickly should trouble arise.

_No. I trust Kaiba,_ Atem thought sullenly. _He wouldn’t do anything brash._ He raised his hand to knock—

“I should have known he’d send you,” came a muffled snarl from inside. Atem stiffened at that. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath and closed his hand around the doorknob. _He can smell me from inside. _It sent a shiver down his spine. “I merely wanted to help, Kaiba.”

“Go away.”

“Your brother is worried about you. _I _am worried, too,” explained Atem. He tried to relax his nerves, letting out a soothing stream of pheromones. He hoped Seto Kaiba would feel his genuine concern.

“…”

“We wouldn’t like for you to suffer.”

There was no reply for a couple more seconds and Atem guessed it to be an approval for him to enter. He turned the knob and pushed the thankfully unlocked door open. The familiar scent of heady musk, of cinnamon, and of rains, hit him like a shockwave—and he reeled in a gasp.

Knees shaking, Atem willed himself to relax, and focused on the dark room he had gone in. He could spy a figure sitting with his nude back to him on the huge bed to his right. The curtains were drawn back, and the light of the moon filtered through the tall glass windows, giving the room a cool ambience, and making the alpha’s complexion even paler in sight. It made his skin crawl deliciously.

“You’re only here to pity me,” Kaiba snapped. There was a roughness to his voice, and he refused to turn back and look at Atem.

“I am not,” Atem answered. He took slow, cautious steps towards the bed. “You should know by now I never mean any harm to you.”

“Scenting is not a walk in the park, pharaoh!” seethed Seto. “After this, there will be no going back—and you—“ he clutched his head in another bout of vertigo. “You will carry _my scent_—and you _will_ _regret_ it—“

_So stubborn,_ the omega Mutuo sighed. Mustering courage amidst the onslaught of ominous pheromones, Atem reached the bed and sat down at the edge, an arm’s length away from the alpha. “Why do you always think that everyone around you hates you, Kaiba?” He paused, licked his drying lips, and pushed his own scent to mollify the agitated alpha. “You’re hurting, and you know it. _Please_. Let me help you.”

His omega must had finally reached Seto somehow, and finally the alpha turned to regard him fully. Atem drank in his appearance: his cheeks were unusually flushed—wide shoulders and built torso pale and heaving in the moonlight—scattered with tiny freckles. His pupils were blown wide, the dark blue irises almost gone as they gazed down at him—miserable—unyielding—so guarded—and yet the scent that the alpha exuded now felt… _open_ to him. Atem felt he could sense down to the bottom of Seto’s soul.

_He had never let me get this close…_

“Let me take away your pain.”

Seto seemed to fight with himself internally for a few seconds as he stared down at the omega. His fists were clenched around the bedcovers. His breathing labored.

“Please, Kaiba.”

At long last, with a low whisper, Seto said, “Just take her bloody scent away.”

The omega felt both relieved and a little hurt at that. Kaiba did not want him as much as he wanted the other omega gone—but, that was enough for Atem nonetheless. If he could be as close to the alpha this way, albeit temporarily, he would. In that moment, he would give him all he could. For his rival. His most worthy rival.

Atem shifted his body closer to the taller man, resting his leg beside him so that he could lean in easier to scent him. He unbuttoned his collar to expose his throat, and then slowly, carefully, he raised his arms to hold Seto’s shoulders. Atem noticed he was burning up, the skin beneath the taut muscle emanating so much heat. The alpha flinched at his touch; but did not pull back. The pharaoh let out a calming hush, rubbing his thumbs in circles to soothe him as he reached out towards the alpha’s scent gland.

The instant their skin touched, Atem felt a well of emotion surge up from within him like the wrath of the great god cards themselves. His admiration for his rival—his utmost respect for him—the feelings he had been harboring for months—all rushed out in frenzy. He poured everything in it. It was too strong than he had intended.

So strong that he heard Seto gasp over him.

It was astounding.

Atem pushed his scent more. He would cover any and all traces of that wicked woman who so selfishly marked his alpha. He poured out his heart in his scent. He would mark Seto as his own in that primal urge to take away his pain. To protect him. His rival. His _alpha._

And in his surprise, hands suddenly clasped around him too. An intense sweetness pushed back at him—their scents mingling like a perfect fusion creation. Atem could no longer feel the hostility and doubt in the alpha anymore. Nothing but utter contentment. And relief.

It was as like he was being welcomed.

Seto’s alpha was reaching for him in return!

_Oh, gods. Oh, gods. _Atem choked a whimper as Kaiba deftly pulled him to his lap in a rush to get him closer. The alpha grasped blindly at his waist for purchase—accidentally pulling off the sash and the satchel with it in his haste. Atem opened his legs in reflex to stable himself in that new position—and he could not hide his whine this time at the feeling of the telltale bulge beneath him. He strained not to grind onto him—Seto was clutching him too close like they were melding themselves together. A wave of giddiness washed over him at the thought that Kaiba might want him too…but he had to pull back a little. _It’s his rut…Just…instincts!_

But Seto heard his whine, and the grip on his waist tightened even more. The omega was beginning to feel dazed. There was a low rumbling in the room, and Atem realized it came from Kaiba.

An alpha’s growl of possession.

Kaiba nuzzled back at him in heated strokes, his warm breath tickling his neck. Atem could fully sense that they were both well and truly marked. He could only smell the two of them now. Nothing but their own scents mixing together perfectly.

And his own growing, and painful arousal.

***

Seto knew that scent.

Of course, Mokuba would get Atem of all people. He would want to deny it, but his alpha roared in approval at the choice. There was only but a door separating him from the omega.

“Go away.”

“We wouldn’t like for you to suffer.”

What a stubborn pharaoh.

His glands throbbed painfully. He wanted that horrible scent gone. But he also wanted to satisfy his own pride of not agreeing to any help—much less from Atem himself. He wanted to curse out loud, but words wouldn’t come out of his throat.

The door had opened and the onrush of Atem’s pheromones was a welcome reprieve. He had to clutch at the bedsheets to contain himself from lashing out possessively. Fuck his fucking rut.

Seto did not know how Atem always seemed to get under his skin effortlessly. He let him get closer. He even allowed him to sit on the bed. _Inches_ from him. Did the omega not smell the danger he was in? Despite his injectable suppressants, he was still an alpha—and there was a difference in physical strength between the both of them.

“Please, Kaiba.”

_Atem, you damn stupid pharaoh. _

Kaiba looked. It was painful to stare at him. The moonlight did wonders to his presence—and his rut-induced fever was giving him weird ideas already. He clenched harder at the bedsheets.

“Just take her bloody scent away.”

He saw Atem’s eyes glow a bit with relief a that remark and he began to get comfortable.

Their legs touched.

It was kind of erotic to see Atem pop open a collar, and he bit his tongue. He swallowed, trying to quench his drying throat. He should have pulled back. Like right now. Atem’s limbs kept him softly in place. His touch was cool to the sensation—but of course, maybe it was the fever.

Kaiba had no strength anymore.

He let the omega get closer.

And once their necks touched, he broke.

Never in his whole life as an unyielding, powerful alpha like Seto Kaiba dreamed that being scented like this—by an omega—by _Atem_—could be so overwhelming! He gasped loudly at the depth of the emotions put forth beneath that scent of the omega’s. It made him breathless—dizzy—and weirdly elated.

_Fuck._

He grasped for Atem blindly—to get more of that contact. Kaiba rubbed at his throat heatedly onto him—he wanted his own scent to be imprinted on the omega, too. He lost himself in the feeling—drowning in it. Of all the times he’d denied himself of physical closeness since his alpha presentation, this was the only time he would want—would _need—_to be constant.

A soft omegan whine escaped Atem. It was a tiny surprised squeak—meek and inviting, and Seto jerked him closer—putting the omega on his lap. He did not care if at this point Atem could feel his arousal brought forth by his rut. He just wanted him nearer. His long limbs encased the pharaoh in a tight embrace. He breathed in his scent, a delicious mix of sweet spices, pastries—and just—_home._

It felt so good.

Seto felt himself salivate. He wanted _more._

Licking his lips, the alpha adjusted himself to be able to fully nose in the juncture between Atem’s throat and his jaw.

_Just a taste._

And he started to kiss the skin beneath.

***

Atem keened when he felt Seto nuzzle at his jaw.

_“Ah!”_

He squirmed underneath his grip—his legs feeling like jelly. His mind was swimming. And then he suddenly felt the soft movement of lips on his throat. _No. No. No. _Tears started to form in his eyes as he grasped helplessly at the alpha’s shoulders. _I must not succumb! It’s just his rut!_

_ But it feels so good… _

Atem yelped when Seto began to sensually mouth at his throat, heated breaths trailing its wake. The hint of his fangs grazed his skin, and Atem felt his arousal grow harder in his pants.

And then he felt Seto starting to paw under his top—long, heated fingers searching under the cloth. He did cream his pants a little at that—but they should stop.

The pharaoh mustered all what’s left of his strength and sanity and pushed the alpha back.

“Kaiba, stop!”

The alpha fell back onto the sheets—his eyes hooded and dazed. He blinked a couple of times before he realized that the omega wasn’t in his arms anymore. He confusedly looked up.

“Don’t do something you’ll regret later,” Atem managed to stutter, hastily wiping the tears that managed to escape and run down his cheeks. He did not know how and why he began to cry—but at this point—there’s only one thing in his mind. And that was to leave. Immediately. “Get well soon, Kaiba.”

“W-Wait—” Seto panted.

Atem did not glance back as he flew out of the bedroom, leaving his sash behind.

***

Seto felt weak.

The omega had left him. And he sat dazed, and wanting, on the huge king bed. Their scents filled the area, and yet the alpha felt devoid. He wanted him to stay—but he had no strength to chase after Atem anymore.

_Atem._

Seto did not know how things progressed the way they had been a few moments ago. It was…It couldn’t be explained. He could not tie in the proper words to describe it. _He wanted him back. _

The alpha spied the purple scarf lying forlorn on the floor. Seto scrambled to pick it up—it still strongly smelled of Atem. As he lifted it up, a small bag fell out of it. Curious, he opened it and pulled out a card. Within it were the words, “Happy Birthday, Seto Kaiba” and attached were custom enamel pins of the Millenium Puzzle and a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Coincidentally, the light of his techno-gauntlet beeped—announcing the stroke of midnight. It was already the 25th. “What a bother,” Seto whispered shakily. He placed the gifts on the bedside table, and pulled the scarf closer to him. His arousal was painfully sensitive now, and he shucked away the rest of his clothes.

This would have to do, until his rut would have passed.

And until then, chasing after Atem would have to wait.


	8. Kill These Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a post-valentine filler  
no beta we die like men
> 
> PSA: some lewd stuff coming up

Atem half-ran, half-jogged towards the exit.

If Mokuba and Yugi were astonished at his flushed face, ragged breaths, and change in scent, they did not voice it, and instead helped Atem out of the suite silently, locking the door safely behind them.

“Thank you so much, Atem. Please do rest properly tonight,” Mokuba clutched his hands gratefully. Atem could only nod. They parted ways and Yugi guided his parter back inside their shared suite.

“Do you want to take a warm soak, _aibou? _It might relax you,” Yugi said as he led the omega to one of the suite’s bedrooms. 

Atem smiled weakly at him. “Thank you, Yugi, but there’s no need. I—I think I should go straight to rest.”

The alpha then gave him a comforting smile, “Alright. Go to sleep, then. Good night, _aibou.”_ Atem murmured back a soft _good night to you, too _before Yugi closed his bedroom door. He let out the big sigh he had been holding off ever since he had arrived back in their suite.

_Alpha…_

The pharaoh was left to dwell on the aftermath of their scenting. He sat shakily on the enormous bed. Taking slow breaths, he closed his eyes and willed himself to relax.

Atem did not expect scenting to be such a mind-boggling affair. He could still feel traces of Seto’s rut and caresses on his skin—strong enough to make the hairs on his arms and neck stand up. He was overwhelmed, yes, but the event was a welcome change. It made his inner omega soar at the prospect of a very viable alpha like Seto Kaiba marking him—and him marking the alpha in turn.

Atem touched his sensitive glands. They were still throbbing—but in a pleasant way. He smelled so good…He smelled like Seto!

Despite Yugi’s innocent suggestion, Atem felt possessive about the current state of his scent. He feared that they would be washed away mere moments after their marking. Of course, Atem knew this to be false. It’s just that his pheromones were on high alert—his omega proud and preening at being marked and would not want to tamper it. For tonight, he would definitely sleep on it first.

What bothered him further was that he would only stay that way for more or less a month at the most. Whatever little intimate connection he had with Seto Kaiba would be gone and he would without a doubt miss it. The alpha was another matter, of course. He surely would easily move on. Atem threw himself on the soft bed, pulling a pillow towards him and snuggling it.

For now, Atem would remember the alpha—_his warm breath, his touches, his soft lips_…

He wondered how Seto’s lips would feel on his…

_No, no…it’s too much wishful thinking,_ Atem thought miserably. _It’s just a rut…just a rut. We are both affected. Like how Kaiba was affected by my heat. It will pass and everything will be back to normal…_

He’d hold down these feelings for as long as he would be able. They would revert to how they were as rivals and co-workers, and the scenting would fade to oblivion.

Atem only wished it did not hurt so much.

***

“Where’s Atem, Yugi?” Mokuba asked the alpha as he settled with him for breakfast in the hotel’s enormous dining hall the following morning.

Yugi let out a knowing smile. “He was still sleeping when I knocked on his bedroom earlier. Don’t want to wake him up since he’s snuggled up and comfortable. I left him a note just in case he can catch up.”

“I see—“

“Mokuba boy…Yugi boy! Good morning!”

Both turned at the sound of Pegasus’ flamboyant greeting. “Up early for breakfast, I see.”

“Good morning, Pegasus. Thank you for letting us spend the night here,” Yugi greeted back.

The silver-haired alpha smiled graciously and nodded. “It’s the least I could do. Did you two rest well?”

“Yes, thanks,” Mokuba affirmed.

“I see our charming omega has yet to arrive,” Pegasus noticed as he looked around. “Still sleeping, hm?” And then cracked a sly grin. “The poor pharaoh must be _exhausted._”

Mokuba could read what the alpha had been insinuating. He decided to play along. “Yeah. Not as tired as big brother, though.” He surveyed the pile of breads and cereals on the buffet table. “After all, it’s difficult to spend a rut without a mate. All _alone._”

The beta saw Pegasus’ slightly crestfallen face at the words, but he easily recovered from it. “Oh? A pity. And here I thought Kaiba boy would have sought _help_ from some_body _in mind…”

“Who knows,” Yugi grinned, catching Mokuba’s eye.

“Truly, a travesty,” Pegasus could only sigh. “Well, I do hope he recovers quickly. Enjoy your breakfast, boys.”

When the alpha CEO had left, Mokuba hissed a whisper at Yugi as they both walked towards a vacant table, carrying their plates of food. “I dunno if it’s just me, but why do I get the feeling that Pegasus is hinting Atem and Seto to be together?”

Yugi shook his head fondly, “I have no idea, Mokuba. He must have realized Atem is the only omega in our circle close enough with your brother. Perhaps he pieced everything together?”

“Hm…true,” Mokuba hummed. 

“I don’t think Pegasus means harm. Glad to know it’s not just us thinking about the two,” Yugi stated.

“You have a point,” Mokuba agreed. “But hey, since we are already at this topic, what do you think of big bro? Since Atem is like your twin brother—will you even approve of Seto? If he started courting him?” He took a huge bite from his pancake, dripping with strawberry syrup—his huge eyes shining innocently as if he did not throw such a controversial question at the alpha.

Yugi stiffened at the words, and almost choked at his croissant. The alpha was not expecting the younger beta to actually breach the topic so soon. But this was Mokuba, and he proved himself to be as smart as his older brother and deeply observant among his peers.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, I will be frank,” Yugi wiped his mouth with a napkin. He had to choose his words carefully. “After Atem’s heat, it’s actually pretty obvious that there’s attraction between them both. There was evident proof in their scents. Even Grandpa was positive that the two might be a pair.” He took a slow sip from his tea before continuing. “It’s just disappointing that they are oblivious of that very fact. Especially your brother. He seems very dense when it comes to feelings.”

The beta punched the air. “Hah! I knew it! It’s soooo obvious!”

Yugi laughed appreciatively. “Your brother is fine being himself, though. That’s who he is. As for the uh, approval—“ Yugi cleared his throat a little. “Do I have to? I mean, Atem can make decisions for himself as far as I—“

Mokuba chortled. “You’re the only alpha in your household, Yugi. It’s pack culture. Come on, don’t tell me you don’t get protective with Atem at times?” He wiggled his eyebrows at him. “With how conservative and proud Seto is, he would definitely ask for your permission to [seriously] court Atem at least...that is, if he quickly realizes his feelings,” he added hastily.

He took another mouthful of cake, and had to restrain his laughs at Yugi’s flabbergasted reaction. The alpha’s violet eyes were wide as saucers, and he seemed to have forgotten to take another bite of his bread—his hand paused midair, gaping incredulously at him.

_ Seto Kaiba? Asking me for permission to court Atem? That must be ridiculous_! Yugi internally cried.

Mokuba continued, “Even though he doesn’t really respect everybody, big bro’s a stickler for such unspoken rules. He might even make you an exception, you know. For the pharaoh.”

“I…never gauged your brother to be like that,” Yugi softly smiled.

The beta shrugged. “Well, I know him my whole life. Maybe after his rut he’ll realize he reeeally likes Atem. I did send him tons of pictures and videos before he arrived at the gala, you know.” He paused a bit to drink his fruit juice. “He basically came flying after I showed Atem with Zigfried on the dance floor. And you know how long they danced back there last night.”

“You did not,” Yugi’s grin stretched wide enough to crinkle his eyes. “I thought you were joking back when you said you were going to send pictures to make Kaiba jealous.”

“Oh hell yeah,” the beta gloated.

_If what Mokuba was saying is true, then this confirms everything! Now if they would just confess to each other! _Yugi thought. _I wish I could tell Mokuba about Atem’s feelings, but I promised aibou I wouldn’t tell a soul…_

“Big bro’s really bad at these things. He might seem like he’s got everything under control, but sometimes he just slips and does stupid things when his _feelings _are involved.”

“Like going to the afterlife for Atem.”

“Exactly,” Mokuba replied in between bites. “I mean, yeah, I was sad and angry he almost did not come back. I thought he was gonna die _again_—but when he did, and even brought the pharaoh with him—I knew.” He waved his fork dramatically. “_Love is such a magical thing.”_

“Don’t let your brother hear that from you,” Yugi grinned behind his teacup. “He should take a lesson or two from you, Mokuba. Have you tried talking to him about these things, though?”

Mokuba pouted. “Nah. He avoids these topics as much as how he avoids Pegasus. And you know how much he dislikes Pegasus.”

“I figured as much,” Yugi replied.

Mokuba nodded. “Yeah, Seto isn’t really open with emotions, but his actions betray him.” And he cackled heartily. “Speaking of—did you know he was hugging the sash Atem left last night?”

The alpha sputtered. “Er—he what?”

Mokuba rubbed his hands in glee. “So I snuck in bro’s room this morning to check up on him, and I saw him! With Atem’s sash! Hugging it like a baby!”

Yugi could not help himself but giggle with the younger beta. “That must be a sight! I did not notice _aibou_ missing his sash when he returned last night. I thought he slept with it in bed.”

Mokuba crowed even more. “Atem must have left it in a rush, and Seto picked it up to cuddle it with him to bed. Isn’t it a sign that he fancies him? Didn’t you smell his scent on Atem last night? It’s so strong! The room smells like them both!”

Yugi was beside himself with laughter. 

“They should really get together, you know,” the beta puffed out his cheeks. “Do you think we need to intervene?”

“We should let whatever’s between them run its course, Mokuba,” Yugi shook his head, going back to his bread. “It’s better to watch from the sidelines to a game we are not a part of. The ball is in their field after all.”

“I sure hope Seto would play properly,” Mokuba took the last bite of his pancake. “It’s for his own good.”

“I agree, Mokuba.”

***

Seto had slept through lunchtime.

It was not his rut that woke him up—but the rumbling of his empty stomach. Groaning, he shifted out of the thick covers with difficulty. He still had the fever, and there’s a sinking pit in his gut that told him that _something_ was missing.

_Omega. _

Blinking blearily the remnants of sleep from his tired eyes, Seto sat up. The first thing he noticed was the purple sash that was bunched up around his thighs and fist. Memories from the previous night rushed into his mind’s eye and he couldn’t help but feel a pleased shiver run down his spine.

“Pharaoh…” he whispered.

Seto had taken the sash with him to bed—and had basked in the omega’s scent the whole night. Finding his pleasure with his _rival _in mind made his face heat up tremendously. He did not bother to count how many times he had jerked himself last night with only the high of their marking and the fragrant scents that had lingered in the room.

What was happening to him? His ruts were not supposed to be like this…

He was not meant think of any_one_ during his ruts. Much less…_Atem_. His rival.

Seto groaned audibly. His still sensitive cock was stirring back to life again at the mere thought of the omega. It troubled him somewhat that his mind would conjure images—_scenarios_—_with Atem_—and they were ridiculously lascivious enough to bring himself to shame.

He licked his dry lips—and tried to will himself to calm down.

But in his mind’s eye, he could still see those big, determined magenta eyes up at him…

_ Fuck this._

Clutching back the scarf to his nose, he reached down to his groin and hurriedly tugged at this already erect member. Atem’s fragrance pushed back to him once more in full force and he shivered into his fist pleasantly. A low growl rumbled in his throat as he caressed his tight balls and up to his engorged knot.

He could recall the omega’s whimpers—those delicious whines that called for him. Kaiba wanted to run his lips more on that cool, supple skin—to explore the wide expanse of his tanned complexion—and to mark it for himself—

He could almost hear Atem cry out at him—_“Kaiba!”_

“Ngh, fuck—“

With a heaving grunt, Seto came, his fluids staining his fist and his thighs. Images of the pharaoh flitted in his mind’s eye—a reminder of the lingering want and heavy feelings which simmered in his inner alpha.

“What a mess,” grumbled Seto, as he forced himself to stand up from bed and wipe the remnants with a nearby undershirt lying on the floor. Not bothering to dress himself, he trudged naked over to where he had thrown his techno-gauntlet in a rush to get to bed, and speed-dialed his brother.

Being scented and marked by an omega for the first time in his life, Kaiba had no idea how his current rut would go. Would it last longer? How would he be after it passes? Would he still crave for Atem? His fever-addled mind could not string together proper deductions on the matter. It would be a while till another bout of his carnal cravings would hit him, thus he would grasp this chance of lucidity to nourish himself.

“Big bro! You’re awake! How are you?! Are you feeling better?”

Seto lightly winced at his brother’s rather loud and rambunctious voice. His mind reeled from his numerous questions. “Just…go get me food, Mokuba.”

“Do you have any preferences? There are stuff from the room service—“

“_Any_thing will have to do. Just. I don’t have the mindset to choose right now—“

“Ayt, bro—I’ll have Roland take—“

Seto chucked the gauntlet away and clutched his temple. He crawled back underneath his rumpled bedsheets and decided to wait there. His stomach was grumbling louder now, and he hoped his urges would not come back yet before Roland arrived.

He really, really, _really_ loathed his ruts.

***

Weeks had passed, and the gala felt like a fairytale dream away.

Seto’s foreign scent with them in the house took some getting used to. Solomon Mutou was shocked at smelling the familiar, imposing alpha scent in Atem. _Were you forced? If not, Is he courting you?_ the old man had asked brazenly the moment they arrived from the hotel, causing the omega to blush dark to the roots of his hair, and his alpha _aibou_ to stifle his rather loud snort.

Yugi had to carefully explain to Grandpa Solomon what had happened in Pegasus’ gala, even showing news from numerous sources—to avoid any misunderstanding and panic. After all, harassment was not tolerated in the Mutou household.

It was a busy week for the press, and Mokuba for that matter. Gossip headlines like ‘_How will Seto Kaiba Fare with A Stranger’s Mark?’, _or ‘_Has KC CEO Met His Match?’ _were no threat over the fact that D Company had been savagely cut off from the KC group of investors. Business was still business, and the paparazzi could only grovel on poor breadcrumbs of speculations and assumptions about Seto’s personal, nay—possible love life.

It did not help that Pegasus himself was vague and quiet about the matter—under the pretense of ‘respecting Mr. Seto Kaiba’s wishes’. These spurred an even more stubborn media collective and numerous opinion blogs kept sprouting left and right.

At some point, the lady from D Company used these as a linchpin to get herself out there in the air for sympathy, but Mokuba swiftly crushed her efforts by fully uploading high-definition recordings of the whole harassment (including Seto and their dance) to the public. The younger Mokuba had initially kept these only for personal archiving (or if the legal chase would arise); since he knew there were other people who had recorded and publicized for them.

“I wasn’t supposed to post these, but they’re just getting too stubborn and noisy,” Yugi remembered Mokuba telling him. “As part of our safety and intelligence protocol, we always have hidden cameras with us. Plus, I don’t want these things to bother bro while he’s still suffering in his rut. I swear, being famous is so tiring sometimes.”

The whole fiasco was trending for one solid week, and Yugi could only empathize with the younger Kaiba for his dedication. After all, his own grandfather was also becoming stubborn regarding Kaiba’s scent in the house.

“His scent still smelled like it was just done today. Are you really sure Kaiba isn’t courting him?” the old man had stubbornly wheedled one lunch time. It was the second week after the gala.

“Grandpa!” Yugi hissed. “Are you really bothered by Kaiba’s scent that much?” He watched warily as Atem practically hid himself in his bedroom after hearing that.

The old man looked nonplussed. He shrugged. “I am not! I am just wondering why he marked him so deeply like that if he weren’t courting him, is all! Back in my day, there were no scenting whatsoever…_”_ and he trailed off, reminiscing his generation’s courting traditions, and how there had been no ‘friendly’ scenting of any kind between alphas and omegas. The alpha exasperatedly buried his face in his palms.

_I can smell a tantrum going on,_ Yugi sighed to himself as the telltale bang of Atem’s bedroom door echoed from above._ Atem might seem like he’s doing normally, but I can sense he’s really antsy…He likes Seto Kaiba, Grandpa! Of course, he would want him to offer courtship!_

But he couldn’t tell that to Solomon. Not yet.

So Yugi tried his best to distract the omega pharaoh in small ways. Atem was not the type to harbor bad feelings against anyone—but his flaring temper every now and then was something Yugi had to tread carefully on.

He watched his _aibou_ lounge beside him as they binged some shows on tv, munching on popcorn and tacos. The shop was closed that day, and Atem had apparently no work ever since the gala. The omega had since but a rather _sour_ mood to go with his free time.

Yugi surmised that his black moods had to do with the lack of activity from Seto Kaiba’s side. Even though Mokuba did confirm to Yugi that there was no pending work at the office for Atem to be involved in right now, the alpha still noticed the sulking waves emanating from the omega_. _This had to be one of the longest ‘breaks’ that Atem had for work.

“Hey, _aibou,_ I have a question,” Yugi began slowly.

Atem hummed in question as he continued popping cheese flavored kernels into his open mouth. He seemed attached to the series they were marathoning. “Go on, _aibou._”

“Do you miss Kaiba?”

Atem choked. Full on coughing. Yugi scrambled to hand him his can of soda to help him drink it down.

“Wh-What? Why?”

Yugi gave him a wry smile as he rubbed Atem’s back. “Well—you seem down lately so I thought...”

The omega’s shoulders slumped, and he took the remote to pause the show. “I…I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just worried. If there is anything I can do—“ Yugi sighed. “It’s all right if you don’t tell me.”

Atem shook his head. He couldn’t hide everything from his _aibou_. And he doubted if he could actually hide the feelings that had been inching to tear their way out of his heart ever since he had left the hotel.

“Yes, _aibou._ I do miss Kaiba.” His fingers reached up to touch his neck glands. “Every day I wake up and I can smell him—and—I want—_more—_but—“ he let out another big sigh. “This is Kaiba! I don’t want to jeopardize what we have because of my selfish feelings!”

Yugi reached out and pulled Atem in a hug. He let out soothing pheromones to calm the omega down. “Being in love is not selfish, _aibou._ It’s perfectly normal to miss someone you like. And this is your first scenting, after all. His, too, I might add.”

The omega nodded. “…Sometimes I loathe myself for feeling this way.”

“Thank you for opening up, Atem,” Yugi tightened his hug. “Whenever you feel this bad, just tell me, okay? It’s difficult to bottle up these things. They surely would backfire on us.” He crooned at him, and he could slowly hear the soft rumble of his purrs as Atem melted in his hug.

“Thank you, Yugi. I needed this.”

“You are welcome. For sure you’ll see Kaiba again. At work, or otherwise. You know I can always call him anytime, right? Want me to do it for you now—”

“NO!” Atem pulled back in a cry. He then flushed deeply; and felt his heated cheeks with both palms. “Iamnotreadytoseehim.”

Yugi lightly chuckled. “And yet, here you are, throwing a tantrum about not being able to see him.”

“I’m not throwing a tantrum!”

“Yeah…it’s not like you check your phone a lot for emails—or look out the window every day to see if Roland comes driving around the corner—"

“It’s complicated,” Atem grumbled, shoving the alpha playfully. 

Yugi cocked an eyebrow haughtily. “You’re talking to a bonded person, _aibou_. I know what love is.”

_Thump._ Atem threw a nearby couch pillow at him. “Whatever, _aibou._” Yugi laughed louder, as the omega grabbed the remote again. “This conversation is over, and I want to finish this series.”

“Of course.”

***

For the first time in so long, Seto found nothing to do at home.

When did he become so exemplary in his job he managed to clear whole weeks off his schedule? Nah. That couldn’t be that simple. Seto was sure Mokuba had something to do with it…

But even if Mokuba did take over some of his work during his week-long rut—there should still be some left, right? Amidst the whole media explosion about the gala fiasco—Seto was sure—there was something that needed to be done.

He double and triple checked his to-do lists. There really were no more pending tasks that needed his approval at this time. It felt so foreign to him. He had to applaud Mokuba for handling the media while he was away. He did not even have to make an appearance.

But for someone who was such a workaholic like him, suddenly being devoid of things to do was making Kaiba uneasy.

His free time was making him think _other _things.

Things like one Atem Mutou.

Ever since his rut broke—quite peacefully if he might add, Seto could not help but relate the matter of scenting to it. He woke up, refreshed and reenergized after that arduous week—which was a huge difference from his usual, weakened and deprived ruts. Was this how a rut could be like with another person’s scent to help him along? How much more if he had an actual warm, person with him—

_Stop it, Seto. Stop thinking!_

Seto gritted his teeth at the fact that he might want to get used to it. His alpha would definitely want to retain traces of the omega as much as possible—and by the god cards was he so irritated at it.

He kep touching his scent glands every now and then—to the point that Mokuba was beginning to notice. If the beta _did _notice, he was prudent enough to not let out a comment, but there was a knowing smile on his face that Seto would sometimes catch.

The alpha wanted to call his brother out at that, but he was not stupid to give Mokuba the pleasure of confirming his assumptions. His younger sibling never said anything outright; however, his teases and his wide grins said enough.

_You like Atem, don’t you, bro?_

It did not help that he still kept the sash that the pharaoh had left from the gala.

Seto would have returned it—if Atem had asked for it. But for some reason, the pharaoh was quiet ever since. There was no work to be done so why would the omega contact him? Did Atem even have an idea that he left a piece of his clothing with him? It was a very confusing night to remember after all. He couldn’t blame if he assumed that he had lost it.

And wouldn’t it be weird if he only returned it now? The sash had stayed with him for weeks. Even Atem’s scent was slowly seeping out of the cloth from his constant use—_no—scratch that—I’m not using it!_ It was for mere convenience’s sake that he had the scarf with him on his headboard. It would be easier to remind him that he needed to return it if it were somewhere quick to spot.

And not that he liked the fragrant omega smell that greeted him every morning…

“Damn it!”

Seto punched the bag hard repeatedly. The numerous smacking echoed in his huge household gym. He was not the type to slacken on his physical exercises, and he did workout a couple of times a week; but nowadays, Seto would spend more time here (if Mokuba did not drag him first to play games in his numerous consoles). He figured sweating out the irritation and the needless want following his first scenting would make them all go away.

Making all thoughts of Atem go away.

Thoughts that made his chest constrict in an unusual way.

And it bothered him. So much. 

Seto walked over to his drinking station and took a long draught from his bottle. He had spent two hours training and upon checking the clock, it was nearing dinner time again. Mokuba would be calling for him soon.

He pulled out his gloves and undressed his bandaged fingers. He had to do something. If he kept thinking about pharaoh then he would address the problem directly. He would see him and confirm—whatever he would call these—_feelings_—he sorely needed to kill. 


	9. The Chaos of the Chase Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MORE LEWD INCOMING

Mokuba Kaiba was gloating.

So hard.

Observing his older brother the past few weeks following the gala had been the most fulfilling thing Mokuba did in his life. The beta was not daft enough to tease him vocally about it, because he knew the alpha would undoubtedly become secretive. If Mokuba acted like nothing had happened, he would get a more pleasant, more _open_ Seto Kaiba. Good things happen to a Seto with a good mood after all. Mokuba had instances when his teasings touched a couple of nerves, and being too roasted to resist, Seto would instead avoid his younger brother like the plague.

_The perfect cold shoulder,_ Mokuba would chuckle to himself.

And since the scenting was a far too intimate and sensitive matter for Seto, Mokuba had been very careful. He needed a well-rested, happy alpha if he wanted to get some information out of him; thus, he took lengths to fix their stuff at work and the media, with the help of Roland and their secretaries. He could give himself a good pat at the back for a job well done. Seto trained him well—and they managed to snag a good couple of weeks of free time. On top of the fact that Seto had no idea that his brother was behind it all.

Mokuba was simply biding his time when Seto would bring up anything remotely _interesting_. He knew that if something bothers his older brother, he would eventually open up to him: complain or rant or basically have a fiery monologue. He knew him that well.

And the fact that Seto was exhibiting some new, _curious_ mannerisms alerted Mokuba that he was well on track.

Oftentimes he would notice the alpha fumble with his collar. Or touch his neck.

_Caress his scent glands. _

Atem’s scent was well-carried over into the household, and Mokuba was pretty certain even Roland was getting suspicious, but he was far too inobtrusive to actually even ask. Inasmuch as he’d like to share some gossip with their all-time trusted henchman, Mokuba would want things to progress first.

Until one dinnertime, the beta got what he was waiting for.

“I’m going out to town on Sunday before going to KC,” Seto had announced. “You can come with if you have’t any errands to do.”

Mokuba leaned in, his right cheek filled with mashed potato. “Whur i’ town?”

A muscle twitched in the alpha’s jaw as he considered. Would he tell his brother? He always let him know where he would have gone without fail. Seto sighed in answer. “Kame game shop.”

“Oh?” the beta grinned in between chews. He knew his brother wouldn’t lie to him. “Gonna duel Yugi?”

Seto’s face only hardened and sipped his red wine. “I need to drop something off.”

“I see,” Mokuba hummed playfully. “Weeeell~ if it’s _work,_ you can go alone, bro. I wanna finish this new game I got last week. And you need to come home early to play with me again!”

Seto rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

There were a lot of things going around in the beta’s mind at that point. Even though he had promised that he would not intervene in their affair, Mokuba figured that he would do the tiniest things, no matter how indirect, to help with their situation.

_Get big bro a boyfriend, that’s the plan, _Mokuba snickered to himself. He snuck a look at Yugi’s latest message to him. _Yep. Big bro doesn’t need to know Atem’s gonna be alone at the gameshop on Sunday._

“Lemme know how it goes!” Mokuba chirped happily.

***

Seto felt an unusual, hazy warmth envelop him as he lay in bed.

There was some sort of weight on the lower part of his stomach—and both sides of his hips—seemingly locking him down. He could feel slow, deliberate caresses on his shoulders and his chest. Warm breaths tickled his neck, which then grew into languid kisses and pecks. A light suckle on his throat. Flighty touches on his pec. A lick on his nipple.

_“Kaiba.”_

It was a familiar voice. His mind was muddled with pleasure—sparks running in frenzy upwards his spine. Who was it? The room was dark, and his eyes felt so heavy to fully open. Seto managed to lift up his sluggish arms and felt at the unknown pressure above him.

The first thing he hit was something warm—a thigh? He felt up and realized there were legs holding him in place. There was a sultry moan as his palms climbed a tiny waist and jutted hipbones. Once again, he heard his name.

_“Kaiba.” _

And it hit him that it was a _man_.

He forcefully opened his eyes, and slowly drank in the sight in the hazy darkness. Seto saw a taut, heaving torso with perky nipples in the dim light. He drank in the sight of a slender set of shoulders, a defined jaw, and glinting, heated magenta eyes. _It was Atem._

And they were both stark naked, the omega’s own flushed erection bobbing just above his navel.

Seto would have jerked back in shock, but his legs were jelly. The whole situation felt unusually _natural. _He did not even feel disgusted—nor bewildered. It was like they were _made _to be like this. The alpha could do nothing but stare as the pharaoh rubbed himself above him, letting out small whines.

Atem reached behind him, and stroked Kaiba’s stiff member against his backside—causing the alpha to moan loudly through gritted teeth. Slick pooled on his groin, coating his thighs and his painfully hard cock. Kaiba wanted nothing more but to pierce himself into the omega.

As if reading his mind, Atem began to lift himself up directly over his aching member. _“Ah…!”_ the omega gasped over him, his voice a melody to his ears. Seto gaped, breathing heavily, as the pharaoh slowly brought his hips down, impaling himself on his cock. The alpha shuddered pleasantly, his hands gripping tightly on those trembling thighs. He could feel his engorged knot hitting the rim of the omega’s dripping hole—and by the god cards he wanted to _lock him in_—

“Nghh—"

Seto was helpless against the hips that started to rock back and forth aggressively over him. He could only feel—all the shocks of pleasure moving through his core down to the tips of his toes. Atem ground against him with reckless abandon, mouth open in ecstasy. His hands grasped at the alpha’s shoulders for support, his nails digging in his sweaty skin. _Atem was riding him. As in cock-in-ass fucking riding him to kingdom come._

_“K-Kaiba…ah!”_

Never in his life did Seto Kaiba ever imagine Atem drawing out these sounds—nor put forth such a lascivious display. It turned on a switch in him that he never knew existed. Seto adjusted his grip on the omega’s backside, pulling him closer as he bent his legs to start meeting him in upward thrusts.

_“G-Gods—yes—there—!”_

_Fuck. _Seto continued a brutal pace, plunging deeper into the pharaoh. He slammed onto Atem without mercy—wet, smacking sounds echoed around them, along with the harried gasps and moans from them both. The alpha could feel the pooling heat in his gut—he knew he was close. Reaching out a trembling hand, he grabbed the pharaoh’s cock and jerked him in time with his rabid lunges. It tore a loud cry from Atem, and Seto drank it all, only making his pace ever quicker and harsher.

_“I’m—I’m coming—Kaiba—Kaiba—”_

Seto watched the pharaoh spill hard onto his chest, his back arching with his orgasm. The lustful sight—and the tight contractions from within Atem immediately sent Kaiba to his own finish. He closed his eyes as a pleasurable yell tore out of his throat—

—with which hurled the alpha awake, in a cry that echoed in his enormous bedroom.

Seto suddenly sat up, breathing heavily—his skin soaked in sweat. His heart was beating so hard against his chest he thought it would explode. He turned to his bedside table and saw his digital clock flashing 3:47 a.m. “_Fucking hell.”_

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to calm himself and took deep lungfuls of air. He tore off the thick blankets over him and recognized the sticky, wet feeling in his nether regions. _Shit. _He’d had to change his sheets. Maybe he should consider getting sleepwear this time around.

His techno-gauntlet flickered, and Seto swiped to see a message from his younger brother: _I heard some noise, bro. Are you okay?_

_Well fuck me twice over. _Seto woke up Mokuba with his orgasm. With him _fucking_ _coming._

The alpha typed a reply quickly: _Just a nightmare. I’m fine. _

He definitely should have his bedroom soundproofed. _Just in case_.

_Just in case what? A repeat occasion? _Seto thought to himself. Like—was he going to fuck someone here so loud people would hear—

_ No. Stop thinking about fucking—ah too late. _He’s hard again. It was the first time he ever had such a vivid, wet dream about someone. Especially about Atem. _What the hell, brain?_ Was this caused by the scenting he had with the pharaoh? Was it so ingrained in his mind that his subconscious had to conjure such scenarios even outside of a rut? Was he…having a _withdrawal_? Did he need more of the omega’s scent?

Seto swung his legs off the bed angrily. A cold shower was in order.

***

“What do you mean you’re not home?!”

Yugi distanced his phone away from his ear at the screech of one Seto Kaiba. Restraining his laughs, he tried to placate the seemingly irate alpha on the other end of the line. “Grandpa and I are out of town to visit distant relatives, Kaiba. Is there something important you need to do in person? Atem is there at the game shop, maybe you can—”

“Never mind. It’s _him _I need to talk to anyway,” he heard Kaiba grouch in reply. Yugi raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Okay! If you need anything from me, I’m just a call away.”

Kaiba grunted, then he hung up.

_Talk about not wasting any time,_ Yugi chuckled to himself. He opened up his messaging app and typed a follow-up text. _Just in case, _the alpha mused. _You’ll thank me later, Kaiba. _

“Who’s that, Yugi?” Grandpa Solomon had called from the kitchen.

“Oh, nothing, Grandpa! Just a call from friends,” Yugi hollered back.

“Come help me with breakfast."

He had already pocketed his phone when he realized that Atem usually slept in late during Sundays. Yugi shrugged. “The both of them could use a little surprise sometimes,” he mused.

*** 

Seto swiped the call to end.

He thought that the whole Mutou household was gone and his sudden trip would had gone to waste. Especially on these rare weekends he had to drag his lethargic self awake for something as small as returning forgotten paraphernalia. He would have opted on a later time, but he had other business matters to attend to. One of them being Mokuba forcing him to agree to another console game match.

Nonetheless, he was more relieved than anything.

To think he could get to talk to Atem alone without any hindrances was a miracle in itself. Him personally visiting their household to talk with the only viable omega after their mutual scenting would definitely seem suspicious. That old man might even think he would try to offer courtship—

Seto shook his head, a nervous jolt shooting upwards his chest. _Out of the point. _

Well, he needed to thank Atem for the birthday gift anyway. And to confront him about…certain _things. _Just those. In and out. Although, at the back of Seto’s mind, it would have been better if Yugi were there to mediate. Who knew what would happen if Seto were to be left alone again with a walking pheromone-bomb such as Atem? The last couple of times were not so appropriate (i.e. Atem’s heat, the scenting).

And now that he was starting to have raunchy dreams about the pharaoh, Seto knew he would be walking into a trap—

_ Stop thinking like that, _Seto said to himself. _I _am_ the dangerous one! My self-control is waning, and I am becoming weak! A strong, respectable alpha should not blame external factors!_

“Sir, we are arriving at _The Reserve*_. Shall I get your usual table?” Roland asked as he drove the limousine to the hotel’s entrance.

“Yes.”

“Excellent, sir.”

_Ping!_

A message notification from Yugi. Seto swiped to read.

_ [08:55 Yugi:] _

_ FYI. Atem likes matcha lattes. =) _

“What the hell?” Seto muttered. “What for?”

Biting the inside of his cheek, he checked the time and weighed in his options. _Nine in the morning should already be okay._ The car swerved to a smooth stop in front of the hotel’s luxurious façade. Seto sighed.

_ Better to get this over with._

“Roland. I don’t need to dine in anymore. Just prepare everything for takeaways.” 

***

Atem rolled on his bed.

Yugi and Solomon were out of the house—visiting other distant family relatives for the weekend. The pharaoh was left alone for the first time. The alpha was worried and kept offering him to go along with them, but Atem would always decline. “It’s all right, Yugi. The shop needs looking after, you know.”

It was the perfect excuse for him to fully ponder his thoughts and feelings.

And maybe mope some more.

A month had passed, and the mutual scenting had dissipated. Coupled with the encroaching winter season, the freezing winds would swiftly cover most scents in the air. What little reminder of that fateful night had disappeared.

Atem kicked the thick sheets around him to make himself more comfortable in bed. He had been browsing on his phone ever since he woke up—and felt too warm and too cosy to get out and make himself some food.

The cold season was a favourite time to nest for omegas, and inasmuch as Atem would want to hoard more vacant pillows in the household, he had to make do with the tiny space allowed. It definitely would had been better if he were to hoard objects from other people to fill his nest. Like plushies. Or clothes. Or stuff from alphas.

Stuff from alphas like Seto Kaiba.

But alas, he only had sheets and old pillows to make up for it. Maybe he should splurge on shopping for nesting material one of these days. Especially with the holidays encroaching, there would be a lot of things to choose from.

_Ding dong! _

Atem groaned. It was a Sunday—and the shop was closed. Yugi and Grandpa should not have arrived yet—not until nighttime. Who could it be? No one from his squad had emailed him that they would come over to visit. And they always gave him a headsup before visiting.

_Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! _

“Coming, coming,” Atem groused. Quite a demanding fellow, this surprise visitor. He quickly slid off from the bed, and smoothed down his favourite oversized woolen sweater, which ran past his thighs. He slept in late nowadays and whoever the visitor was, they would have to forgive his out-of-bed look complete with a dry face and kuriboh printed pajama pants—plus matching fluffy slippers.

He checked the clock above the kitchen stove. 10:27 am. He did quite the snooze.

The ringing became even more persistent and Atem was getting mightily annoyed. “Yes, yes, I am coming!” He yanked the backdoor entrance open without peering into the peephole and was met with a face-full of a broad, fur jacketed chest.

The rush of a familiar scent met his nostrils and he stiffened like he had been doused with a bucket of ice cold water. Atem looked up comically slow and saw the daunting, unimpressed face of Seto Kaiba squinting down at him—his huge, tall figure almost blocking the whole door frame. He thought his heart might jump up to his throat.

“!!!!”

“Pharaoh.”

“K-Kaiba!”

“…”

“!!!!!!!”

“Are you letting me in or will I have to force my way?” Seto sneered.

Atem squawked and immediately sidestepped to allow the alpha to enter. Quickly, he closed the door before a strong gust of winter wind blew inside. The house had a heater, but he’d rather not bring the chill in. Atem easily got cold after all.

“W-What brings you here, Kaiba?” the pharaoh asked warily, watching the taller man stalk around the small lounge. His flowing black coat with faux fur embellishments made him look like a haunting bird of prey—but at the same time, it made him even more handsome—as his pale complexion contrasted with the dark cloth, making his features sharper. Atem suddenly felt so underdressed in his pajamas and slippers. Which Seto was side-eyeing.

“Those look pathetic.”

“Wha—!!! How dare you! Yugi gave these to me!” Atem puffed out his cheeks. “Not like you don’t have dragon patterned ones, Kaiba!”

Seto snorted, as he surveyed a nearby glass case with rare cards in them. “I don’t. I sleep in the nude.”

“Ngh!” A gasp got stuck in his throat. Atem tried his best _not _to imagine it. _No, no, Atem don’t! Too much information!!! Urgh! Too late_. “If you’re here only to mock my sleepwear I will have to ask you to leave—”

The alpha suddenly pushed a paper bag towards him. _I did not see him carry anything?_ Atem thought.

“What is this?”

He took the bag and peered into it curiously. Inside was his purple sash that accompanied his outfit back in Pegasus’ gala. _Oh. _He had completely forgotten about it. Atem thought he had lost it at the hotel. So it was with Kaiba all this time? What about his gift in the satchel, though? Losing it back then only added to his frustration—and he had yet to get a new one to give to Kaiba—

“I got your card,” he heard Seto interrupt his thoughts. “And the pins.”

Atem’s eyes widened. “Oh! I—uh—” His cheeks flushed.

“You didn’t have to, but,” the alpha mumbled almost inaudibly. “Thanks.”

The pharaoh simpered, his annoyance and frustration evaporating immediately at those words. “Ah—it’s no problem…I—er—had no idea I left them. I thought I lost them.”

“Well, you got them to the recipient, nonetheless,” Kaiba crossed his arms.

Atem smiled shyly. “D-Did you like them?"

“You do know my tastes,” Seto replied.

“I’m gla—"

_Grrrrrooowwwwl. _

Atem wanted his whole sweater to swallow him whole. Or the pillar behind him to open up a portal to transfer him back to the realm beyond. Of all times for his stomach to take up stage center and get their attention!

_Ggrrrroooowwwll!_

Kaiba frowned at the sound for a second, and when it continued a few more beats, he gave out a huge snort.

“Ah—I—” the omega stammered.

Kaiba smoothly pulled back his cuff to show his techno-gauntlet, a grin plastered on his smug face. “Roland, bring in the takeaways.” He then proceeded to sit on the couch, unbuttoning his coat as he did so. “Good thing I came prepared.”

“Wha—?!”

Roland entered the house with a bulking canvas bag and proceeded to lay packaged boxes of what Atem presumed to be food and drink neatly on the coffee table. He then left swiftly afterwards with a respectful bow at them both, leaving Atem dumbfounded.

“Are you not going to sit?”

“W-What is this about, Kaiba?” stammered Atem as he hastily plonked himself an arm’s length away beside him. With how Roland had laid out the food, he had no choice but to sit on the same couch. This was unusual…Kaiba was never this pleasant. _What’s going on?_ The delicious smell wafting from the open food boxes was making him salivate. Not to mention Seto’s alpha pheromones. _Gods,_ he missed his scent.

“I came here without any breakfast and I bought too much,” Seto nonchalantly replied, pushing a steaming box of pasta at him as he settled for the venti cup of coffee first.

“That’s…nice of you. Thank you,” Atem said. “But knowing you…you wouldn’t come here without a reason, Kaiba.” He sheepishly took a plastic fork and started to dig in.

The alpha looked at him with those unreadable deep blue eyes as he took a sip from his coffee. Count on the pharaoh to cut straight to the point. “I need to confirm something.”

Atem tilted his head up at him in question as he chewed eagerly. _Ra, this is so creamy and delicious!_ “Confirm what? Is it work?”

“Hm. No. It’s to see if I’m simply imagining things.”

“Whyever for?” Atem asked him curiously as he took another enthusiastic bite. _Wherever Kaiba got this food, they must be high class! I must ask him later!_ Atem happily indulged at the creamy pasta. He must had made a mess, because Seto began to lean in and reached out a long-fingered hand to wipe at a stray blob of cream off the side of his lips.

With which he licked off the cream from his finger like it was such a normal thing to do.

Atem suddenly felt weak as he gaped incredulously at the alpha at what he had done. He was pretty sure his pheromones were shooting off crazily at this point. He did not care anymore. Seto Kaiba would be the death of him and this was his final meal.

“…”

The alpha must had caught the whiff of the change of his scent and his apparent shock, because Atem could see the immediate twitch of his jaw, and his own growing musk in response. 

_By the gods, please save me. _

“Does this happen to you?”

“W-What?”

Seto leaned in closer and Atem fought the urge to whimper.

“This.” The brunet merely shrugged indicatively of the surroundings. “The _pheromones._”

“W-What about them?” Atem broke off eye contact and fumbled to get the other drink. Why did his throat suddenly feel so dry? He took a sip and was lightly surprised. He was expecting a strong, bitter espresso mix, but was met with something frothy, milky—and tasted of _matcha_.

His _favorite. _

There were a lot of questions reeling in his mind right now and his heart thumped at the possibility that Kaiba might have intended for this. For _him_. On his unannounced visit. Unless, it could be a bribe for something else. Who knew this could happen? Yugi was one of the few who knew he loved _matcha_ drinks—he must have dropped him a line. After all, he was pretty much under the weather the past few weeks. What were the odds?

It really was strange for Kaiba to open up such a topic out of the blue. And to even bring him his favorite drink! But then again, they had scented each other. At some point there was an intervention that needed to be done, right? Was this his way of softening the impact of something [serious—or bad] he was supposed to say later on?

“There. You’re doing it again,” Kaiba stated plainly, gauging him like Atem was suddenly an interesting specimen. He took a deep breath to emphasize his point.

Atem touched his scent glands in reflex. “I haven’t taken my suppressants today, is all.”

“Hn. I don’t think so.”

Atem derided. “How can you say that?”

“Because I can _smell _it,” Seto leered. He put down his coffee and shifted in his seat so he faced the pharaoh. “There’s something else underneath all that scent and ridiculous pheromones you have.” His eyes bored onto the omega like crystals. “And it’s _bothering _me.”

The drop in his voice with that last line sent shivers to Atem. He put down the drink rather roughly like he had been burned. “You have only seen me today! How can you assume such a thing!” He felt his voice crack. “I could say the same to you! You were in a rut! You’re confused and I can tell it in your scent too, Kaiba!”

“That’s why I’m here to confirm it,” Seto hissed back.

The omega scoffed, and proceeded to stand up, his appetite suddenly disappearing. “If it will help you, I am going to take my medicines now. I am sorry my pheromones are making you muddled, Kaiba—”

He was not able to move an inch as he was suddenly pinned onto the couch. The huge form of Kaiba hovered above him, caging him—both hands on either side of his shoulders.

“K-Kaiba! What are you doing?!”

“I told you it’s not about the suppressants—"

“If this is a sick joke—I’m not—”

“Who would joke about this? Who do you take me for?”

“I don’t know! Why are you touching me—”

“I need to confirm something, _Atem!_ Just—”

Atem watched with bated breath as Kaiba stumbled around his words. He said his name. His _name._

“—been thinking ever since about that damn night. And it’s bothering me I can’t get _your fucking scent _out _of my head_—”

Atem gasped. This couldn’t be real, could it? The alpha was staring everywhere but him. Right now, his blue orbs was focused on the back of the couch—where his head rested.

“So just let me—” Seto took a calming breath. “Perhaps it’s just a withdrawal. Just shut up and stay still. _Please_.”

The omega could tell the brunet’s scent was growing agitated with every second. Maybe he could forgive him for being this brash. With a gulp, Atem gave him a tiny nod.

In a snap, Seto’s hold on him became _gentler. _He leaned in near the exposed skin of his neck from the wide opening of his sweater. Atem shivered pleasantly at the closeness. If Kaiba needed to confirm his scent to satiate his curiosity, then the pharaoh, too, would take this chance to get a hold of the alpha’s musk he had sorely missed.

Seto inhaled deeply—his face mere inches away from the exposed skin of the omega’s neck. He was quite close enough to instigate another scenting—and Atem trembled at the thought of being scent-marked by Kaiba again. They stayed that way for a couple of seconds, with Atem relishing the familiar heady musk of storms and rain that Kaiba exuded.

Until he felt the alpha pull back rather unceremoniously. His face was tinged pink up to his cheekbones—and even his ears were flushed. He grabbed his coffee and took a long draught, avoiding the other’s stare.

“Are you okay, Kaiba?” the omega crooned. Atem could smell the sudden alarm from him. Did his scent bother Kaiba that much? Did he assume wrong about that night? It was curious. He did not feel anything cumbersome with Kaiba’s scent, though. In fact, Atem liked it. In and out of rut, to be frank.

He suddenly felt bad for being hotheaded with the alpha earlier. And he even brought him food, for once.

“It _is_ a withdrawal,” the alpha drawled, as he fumbled with his coat. He took the coffee with him as he stood up. “I’ll see you at work.”

“You’re leaving?” Atem asked, disappointment pooling in his gut. “But the food!”

“They’re yours.”

“_No. _At least finish them with me!” Atem insisted. “You didn’t come here just to _smell_ me did you? You said you haven’t had breakfast yet!”

The alpha stiffened at his admission. _He's not wrong._

“If you’re not going to eat them, at least take them back,” the omega frowned. “If you eat with me,” an idea popped in his head. “I’ll duel with you after!” Kaiba seemed to consider this for a few seconds, his blue orbs wary and calculating.

“Fine.” Seto grunted.

Atem smiled happily as the alpha sat back down with him on the couch.

“I knew you would.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Kaiba snarled as he pulled an unopened box of a sandwich towards him.

“Ah! I have a game we can play while eating!” Atem announced. He stood up and shuffled towards a nearby cabinet and pulled out a box from what appears to be stockpiles of—

“A boardgame?”

“Hmhm!”

“_Snakes and Ladders?_ Seriously?”

“Hey! At least we can still have fun! Or are you chickening out, Kaiba?” Atem smirked as he shook the packet containing the character tokens.

Seto glared at him, mouth filled with beef and onions. “Gimme tha’.”

“That’s the spirit!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * So I googled names of fancy hotels and La Reserve from Paris caught my eye. Easy fancy name for a Kaiba-standard breakfast getaway :)  
As always, thanks for the avid support!


	10. The Chaos of the Chase Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's tough getting out and update during this pandemic--but as a treat, I made this one slightly longer than the last <3 I hope you guys are keeping safe and healthy!

Seto got his takeaway food in record time—but that blasted latte he needed was not available. A high-class hotel with no supply of matcha? Were they daft? He didn’t care if it was an unfortunate coincidence. He would definitely not drop by there again anytime soon. Grumpily, Kaiba had to have Roland scout for decent cafes along the road for it.

He was not supposed to get that drink per se—however, there was a slight nagging at the back of his head that wanted to please the omega when he dropped by. That tiny fact that Yugi had imparted just wouldn’t leave his mind. And it was something _new_. Something unexpected from the pharaoh. It was the first time he had discovered anything other than dueling that Atem liked. _Or was he just not paying attention? _

Roland had managed to find a reputable café that had the latte in their menu after going through a couple of (Seto-approved) drive thru ones. _This is unlike you,_ the alpha CEO thought to himself, but he could only stare at the huge cup alongside his own coffee order.

It only took them a short time before Roland had pulled up in front of the game shop back entrance. “Stay here until I call you, Roland,” Seto said, as his trusted attendant opened the car door for him.

The alpha wasted no time in ringing the bell.

_Ah fuck, should I have emailed Atem first? Nah. Yugi said he’s here. _

A few minutes flew by. _Growl_.

_ I should have had breakfast while in the car…_

He pressed again.

Silence.

He pressed the button multiple times. _Where is he? Was Yugi lying to him? _He had other business matters to attend to after this!

_Dingdongdingdongdingdong—_

The alpha was ready to break down the cheap door when it suddenly opened.

“K-Kaiba!”

Seto wrinkled his nose in reflex. _Fuck, why do your pheromones hit me this hard—_ He hoped Atem did not notice.

“Pharaoh.” He answered through gritted teeth.

His blue orbs raked in the sight of the omega in front of him. He had not been expecting disheveled bed hair, a gaping wide-necked sweater, fluffy slippers, and—were those kuriboh-printed pajamas? Did he catch a pharaoh fresh out of bed? But it’s already past ten in the morning?

“Are you letting me in or will I have to force my way?”

The surprised squawk the omega let out was something he’d definitely file for later. Seto was careful not to laugh out loud. He instead chose to put his attention to a nearby glass display cabinet.

“What brings you here, Kaiba?” the omega asked him, wringing his hands under those too-long floppy sleeves. _Really? Kuriboh pajamas?_ Seto sneered to himself.

“Those look pathetic.”

The pharaoh pouted up at him as he cried out defiantly. Seto could see traces of red dusting his cheeks. “Not like you don’t have dragon-patterned ones, Kaiba!”

“I don’t. I sleep in the nude.”

Okay, he did not know WHY he had to give out that fact.

Seto snuck a sideways look back at Atem and noticed a more prominent red on his face. _Interesting._

“If you’re here only to mock my sleepwear, I will have to ask you to leave—”

_No, I won’t just yet. _Seto handed to him the thin paperbag containing the scarf. _I just hope he doesn’t notice any more scent of mine on it. I had the maids wash it multiple times—_

The noticeable shock from the pharaoh was becoming a tad bit too long for his liking. He watched as Atem turned the scarf slowly over his fingers.

“I got your card,” Seto blurted out suddenly. “And the pins.”

“Oh! I—uh—”

_Shut up, Seto. _“You didn’t have to, but,” He couldn’t look away from Atem’s wide eager eyes. “Thanks.”

_Oh, fuck, that scent again. _

He thought his tongue would fall off after that—but the soft smile that broke out of the smaller man’s lips shot an unusual thrill shoot up the alpha’s spine. Saying thank you might not feel so bad after all. He could sense the happiness shooting up from the omega, and it calmed him to know that his visit was successful.

Until he heard the growl.

That unmistakable growl of hunger.

Seto was confused and nervous for like two seconds—was it him? Did the howl of his deprived stomach pass through his thick woolen coat? He listened for it again—gauging possible excuses he could come up with to save face, until he saw Atem looking like a ripened tomato across him.

“Ah—I—”

_ Oh. _It’s him.

Trying hard not to smile too widely, Seto dialed up Roland promptly as he sat down on the cheap couch. “Roland, bring in the takeaways. Good thing I came prepared.”

Seto drank in Atem’s bewildered look as his trusted henchman arrived with bags of food and laid them out carefully on the small coffee table.

“Are you not going to sit?” he asked the pharaoh, crossing his long legs luxuriously.

A curious sniff. A dry swallow. Atem was staring hopefully at the steaming boxes of food, wringing his hands anxiously underneath his soft sleeves.

Seto’s alpha was reveling.

“W-What is this about, Kaiba?”

“I came here without any breakfast and I bought too much,” Seto answered with a straight face, quickly pushing the nearest box of food towards the pharaoh. _It’s not totally a lie anyway._ He did mindlessly buy quite a lot. Even Roland had his own box—although, Seto did not think this through that he would actually need to eat with the pharaoh. Well—he’d be out of his [ridiculous] hair in no time. Once he would have asked what he needed to ask—Seto would skedaddle out of the game shop and Atem wouldn’t know what hit him.

He took the venti cup of coffee to keep himself busy—with Atem sitting beside him, his sweet scent wrapped around them on the couch like a hazy cloud.

“That’s nice of you. Thank you,” the omega had continued. “But knowing you…you wouldn’t come here without a reason, Kaiba.”

Count on the pharaoh to cut straight to the chase.

But no matter. Seto would have preferred it.

“I need to confirm something.”

Atem looked up at him curiously as he began to eat. “Confirm what? Is it work?”

“No. It’s to see if I’m simply imagining things.”

“Whyever for?”

Seto watched him slurp the pasta with gusto—_Is this man really a king? He’s making a mess!_ But maybe he had not had breakfast yet—like he was. His train of thought went to a screeching halt and Seto couldn’t help the sight of that stray blob of cream on the side of the omega’s lips.

His hand had reached out to Atem’s face before his brain flashed out a warning. Carefully, he wiped the cream off cleanly with a dainty finger. And proceeded to lick it off despite the screams of protests in his head.

_ What the fuck did I just do?_

The omega was staring at him incredulously—his delicious scent shooting off like fireworks. _For fuck’s sakes, did I screw it up—_

It bothered Seto that such a scent would get him so riled up—and he needed to do something about it.

“Does this happen to you?”

“W-What?”

The alpha turned to him, shifting in his seat to get a bit closer. “This. The _pheromones._”

“W-What about them?”

Seto watched as the omega reached over the matcha drink and slowly took a sip. There was wonder reflected in his eyes when he tasted the contents. And the spike in his scent only grew stronger. Seto restrained himself from inching closer and taking a deep breath.

“There. You’re doing it again,” the alpha stated. It was weirdly gratifying, if he were to be completely honest with himself. Traces of happiness and surprise reflected in Atem’s omegan scent and it made his alpha cool down quite fast.

Atem noticed his nostrils flaring and slapped a hand to his neck glands. “I haven’t taken my suppressants today, is all,” he mumbled.

“Hn. I don’t think so.”

“How can you say that?”

Seto seethed at him. “Because I can _smell_ it. There’s something else underneath that scent and ridiculous pheromones you have.” He inched closer again. “And it’s _bothering_ me.”

The way the omega stiffened at his question, coupled with the sudden sourness growing in his scent alarmed Kaiba. _Fuck. _His brashness would be the death of him one day. Atem put down his drink and scoffed. “You have only seen me today! How can you assume such a thing! You were in a rut! You’re confused and I can tell it in your scent too, Kaiba!”

Seto was taken aback—but he could sense the flight and flee signal from the omega. Damn it, he needed more answers! He must not let him escape—

“K-Kaiba! What are you doing?!”

The moment the pharaoh motioned to stand up, Seto had lunged over to him, caging him with both hands onto the couch.

“I need to confirm something, _Atem!_ Just—that—” he began to stutter—and he slightly wetted his lips—trying to find the proper words to avoid further upsetting the omega. “—I’ve been thinking ever since _that damn night_. And it’s bothering me that I can’t get _your fucking scent out of my head_!”

Kaiba could feel the heat of the pharaoh’s stares on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look back.

“So, just let me—” Seto inhaled, slightly trembling. “Perhaps, it’s just a withdrawal. Just shut up, and stay still. _Please_.”

He did not realize how his voice dropped at that last word. No threats—just a genuine plead to the omega.

There was only silence as a few seconds ticked by—until he felt Atem nod at him. A calming scent rushed past his nose, and he loosened his grip in reflex, cradling the smaller man’s shoulders with surprising gentleness he never knew he had.

With their current position, Seto could easily take lungfuls of the scent which so eluded him—and yet had missed so much. He was careful not to be tempted to nose in that wide expanse of skin underneath that huge sweater.

It was so attractive.

So blissful.

There was a light tug at his coat, and a quick side look told him that Atem did it to take in his scent closer, too. Waves upon waves of accepting sweetness hit Seto right through his nostrils, and it surged an unusual heat in him—dangerously down onto his nether regions—

_Shit._

He pulled back rather suddenly—and hoped against hope Atem did not detect that spike of heat in his scent. Seto was thankful his woolen coat was thick and long enough to cover his pants or he’d be mounting a stiff tent in the Mutou living room. _Pathetic._

“Are you okay, Kaiba?” Atem asked softly. His scent had grown to be calm and soothing despite their little ramble earlier. Seto could almost pity himself for being such a temperamental bitch. Whatever happened to his control?

“It is a withdrawal,” Seto said. Yes. That was it. He was just really used to Atem’s scent for the first time in his rut—he was missing it so much. And he was so antsy about the whole thing—he apparently only needed a whiff of his scent to sate his nerves—

Or not.

He needed to get out of there. His boner was making him distracted. “I’ll see you at work,” the alpha grunted.

“You’re leaving?” Atem had asked as Seto took his coffee and stood up. “But the food!”

“They’re yours.”

“_No._ At least finish them with me! You didn’t come here just to smell me, did you? You said you haven’t had breakfast yet!”

_Ah, fuck._

The omega frowned at him with those huge magenta eyes of his.

_ No, don’t give me that damn look. _

“I’ll duel with you after!”

_Shit._

_You don’t simply drop a free dueling offer after all this time, pharaoh,_ Seto angrily thought. _You never even agree to join my recent tournaments! _

It was like when Mokuba used to plead at him through those huge puppy-dog eyes of his—and it irked him that Atem knew (unconsciously) how to do it.

“Fine.”

The alpha sorely wished he would survive through the whole meal. He would have to beg his boner to die down by sheer will alone.

Atem grinned at him cheekily. “I knew you would.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Seto spat, crossing his legs again to get comfortable on the couch.

“I have a game we can play while eating!”

_ Oh, joy. _He watched as the pharaoh skipped over to one of the shelves in the room—pulling open cabinet doors which contained—

“A boardgame?”

The omega nodded as he pulled one box in random, shoved it on the table, and plopped down beside him again.

“_Snakes and Ladders? _Seriously?”

“—are you chickening out, Kaiba?”

Seto could only glare nastily at Atem.

“Gimme that.”

***

They spent a good two hours playing against each other with random board games even after they had both finished their meals. Kaiba had [unknowingly] enjoyed himself with Atem’s ridiculous game antics so much that the promise of a duel was somehow forgotten.

Atem was about to bring it up when Seto’s gauntlet flashed in alarm, reminding him of his next appointment. He still needed to drop by the company today and he’s already an hour off his set schedule.

“I need to go,” the alpha said, taking back his coat which hung over the back of an empty armchair. Atem had made him take it off in the middle of their meal earlier, “You shouldn’t eat with your coat on!” Seto was just thankful his boner had subsided by that time—and the omega did not notice anything unusual.

The taller man eyed their finished food packages on the coffee table. “I’ll have Roland clear those up—”

“No, no, you don’t need to,” Atem stopped him, waving both his hands. “You’re the one who treated me to the food. I can clean them myself.” He gave him a rather bright smile. “I don’t want to hold you back to your next meeting.”

The alpha’s blue orbs bored onto him like ice, studying him. “If you say so.”

“Thank you again, Kaiba. For returning my scarf—and—well, for the scrumptious lunch,” Atem said sincerely. “Next time I’ll be the one to treat you to delicious food. I’ll cook!”

“You assume I will visit again.”

The omega smirked up at him. “I still promised you that duel, so you better come by again.”

A snort. “You know how demanding work is, pharaoh.”

“Oh, I’m certain you can make time for me, Kaiba. Or better yet, I can offer it up at the office?”

Seto had to grit his teeth hard at that, but merely tilted his chin upwards. “Whatever. Prepare the car, Roland,” he announced at his gauntlet.

As the alpha opened the door to walk out of the shop, Atem called out softly at him. “Kaiba.”

“Hn?”

“Take care out there.”

If the omega could see the brunet’s eyebrows beneath his fringes, they would have shot up ridiculously high on his forehead. Seto merely grunted and strode over to his waiting chauffeur. He was thankful the strong winter wind blew out his rather excited alpha scent out of the area.

Now, he’s definitely looking forward to that promised duel.

***

Atem clutched at his heated cheeks once Kaiba’s limousine had disappeared around the curb.

_“Take care out there.”_

Why did he say that?! That sounded embarrassing! What did Yugi call it? _Cheesy?_ Right!

The pharaoh paced around the living room, clenching and unclenching his fists. He was restless. Excited? Nervous? Maybe both?

That was one of the rarest occasions Kaiba would exhibit such a relaxed demeanor. Especially when he had asked him if he could smell his scent again! That alone could send his heart flying back to Aaru!

_How he smelled so…enticingly…_

Especially when Seto had taken off his winter coat.

_Oh, Ra. _

Atem was used to Kaiba wearing the same set of black turtlenecks as his daily wear but seeing it up close (than their usual working distance) was something else entirely. The cloth clung nicely to the alpha’s well-defined pectorals and wide shoulders, down to his tapering waist marred with the hint of stiff abs—oh it was torture! If only he would be engulfed in the warmth of those delicious biceps as well—

_Settle yourself, Atem,_ the omega giggled_. _He did manage to playfully punch Kaiba at the arm (lightly) during one of their games—and the alpha did not bat an eyelash at it, but instead hissed at him like an angry cat (he still lost to him, though).

Poor Kaiba—he must had gone through hells with such a withdrawal. Atem had read of such cases before—but it was only a scenting! How much more if it were an actual mating in rut—

“No, Atem, stop thinking about it,” he reprimanded himself. _This one-sided attraction is incredibly burdensome. _But earlier, in a split-second, he did think to offer another scenting to Kaiba if it would help him cope better…

The pharaoh went over to the paper bags filled with their trash and scooped them up so he could dispose of them in the kitchen.

At least he could deduce that Kaiba was being comfortable around him. He was still grumpy; yes, however, he could somehow wheedle him into doing some small favors if the circumstances were right.

He managed to make him play a game with him. Eat with him. Even crack some puns at him (although Atem only received a bored, lackadaisical stare in return). But, hey! Progress was still progress! He was beginning to get to know Seto Kaiba even more!

Atem could not stop grinning. He felt so giddy!

Mokuba was right when he had mentioned that his older brother could be nice if he wanted to. By Ra, Joey and the others would probably not believe that Kaiba dropped by personally to return his things, and with food for him!

_Next time, I will return the favor,_ Atem thought happily. And he would need to ask Mokuba what kind of food Kaiba fancied…

***

Curious.

_Very _curious.

Roland had been in the Kaibas’ employ for quite a long time—he had served and had been by Seto’s side, watched him mature and grow into a great, excellent CEO despite his young age and traumas. Sometimes Roland only wished for the young master to enjoy life like any other young men his age, and he was inwardly thankful of those ‘dweebs’ who make Seto’s and Mokuba’s lives all the more interesting—and may he add, a tad bit more colorful.

Having quite a sensitive nose for scents and pheromones came as an advantage for Roland when tackling security matters—and the seemingly unpredictable moods of the very elusive CEO; so much that he was one of the very few people Seto knew to trust.

So, it shouldn’t be that suspicious that he could detect his young master’s unusually high spirits when he had left the gameshop. _Even with that really strong omega Mutou scent…_

Still—that was particularly curious indeed. Roland had never seen the young master exude so much—_happiness? _His usually pale face even had a touch of color in them, as compared to before he had arrived at the gameshop.

“To KC, Roland.”

Even Seto’s voice sounded light and satisfied.

“Yes, sir.”

If this was because of the Mutous, Roland hoped that they wouldn’t stop supporting his young master. A jovial Seto would be hard to notice by other people, but right now, Roland was content to know that his master was getting (what little) happiness he deserved. And it was such a good look on him.

_ I should tell the young master Mokuba as well. _

*** 

It would be an understatement to say that Atem was energetic that week.

Yugi could basically smell his _aibou’s _happy pheromones in every inch of the house. Not that it was a bad thing—hell—even Grandpa Solomon had gotten infected with his good moods—but, the omega’s _hyper_-ness about the sudden visit of Seto Kaiba was definitely something to remember.

The alpha recalled how Atem had jovially recounted the day’s happening in fine detail. _Did you tell Kaiba that I love _matcha_, _aibou_?_ _I was astonished that he had brought a drink with him!_

Yugi told him that he _slipped _on that fact—but of course, he wouldn’t say to Atem that he had _really _intended it for Kaiba to know. Nonetheless, he was mildly surprised that the alpha brunet had gone along with it. He was actually being nice for a change it’s almost scary! _But…he really did it for Atem,_ Yugi thought.

Things were growing interesting now.

“_Aibou!_ I am leaving for work!” Atem called from the kitchen backdoor, where Roland was already waiting to pick him up to drive him to KC. “Good luck at school!”

Yugi put down the mug he was drinking from and waved at his partner. “Take care, Atem! I’ll make dinner for us later!”

“Oh? Has Atem left already? So he’s back to work now, huh?” Grandpa Solomon quipped as he came down for breakfast.

“Good morning, Grandpa!”

Yugi fussed about the counter to bring his grandfather a fresh cup of coffee. “Yes, Atem had to leave early today. Their work is beginning to pile up again,” he explained.

“Even though it’s almost the holidays?” his old man asked. “I thought they had most of the heavy workload wrapped up before the gala?”

Yugi nodded, handing him his drink and a bowl of oatmeal with freshly cut fruits. “I guess they still have some stuff to take care of. Even us college students aren’t safe from the holiday rush, grandpa.” And he chuckled heartily. “Although, I think Atem mentioned he wants to get a couple more days free before the holidays, so he’s going to rush work at Kaiba Corp this week.”

“That’s good to know! As long as Atem doesn’t overwork himself,” Grandpa stated. “I haven’t seen him get sick ever since his return, aside from the occasional sniffles, but it’s better to be safe!”

Yugi agreed with a smile, “You’re right, Grandpa. I’ll remind Atem as well to take his vitamins. The news did say that we’d be facing worse snowstorms this year after all.”

“Indeed I can feel the cold cracking up my joints,” droned his grandpa. “I suggest you both take your holiday shopping early! Maybe you boys can check out the newly-put up bazaar at the public park. You can buy your gifts there. I just remembered getting a flyer the other day—"

“We definitely will, Grandpa! Thank you,” replied Yugi.

Atem always looked forward to the holidays. Yugi could reminisce about the pharaoh’s first time seeing snow—and getting acclimated to the culture of Christmas. It was amazing!

_ For sure _aibou_ will want to go shopping gifts for everyone, including Kaiba, of course,_ Yugi thought, as he went back to his coffee. _Maybe I should get Mokuba to come with us with Joey and the rest of the gang? Atem would be thrilled. _

For now, he would note it down on his calendar.

***

_Two weeks later._

“Hey, hey, big bro!”

The younger beta hovered near Seto’s desk in his study, prancing about in his fluffy hungry-burger patterned pajamas and slippers. His older brother eyed him nastily behind his hologram screens. “What is it, Mokuba?”

“Yugi’s inviting us for their yearly Christmas party! I said yes!”

“In the middle of storm season? Yeah sure, as if I’d let you go.”

“Not alone, I won’t!” Mokuba prodded at him playfully. “Come with me!”

Seto merely rolled his eyes.

“You’re not going to leave me if I get stranded there alone in the storm, are you?” his brother waggled his eyebrows at him. The alpha remained unbothered. “Oh, come on, bro. We skipped last year’s! And it was Atem’s first Christmas too. I want to spend it with them this time!”

“We went to Prague last year, Mokub—”

“I wanna spend this year with friends!!!”

Seto clicked his tongue in annoyance at his outburst. Whenever Mokuba wanted something, he did really get quite chatty and noisy and whiney. It didn’t help that he’s wearing those horrible pajamas Yugi gifted him the previous year to rub in his face.

“You do know their house is ridiculously tiny for such a gathering, Mokuba—”

“Why does it matter? We fit okay there during game weekends!”

Seto massaged the bridge of his nose and pushed back his chair away from his glowing screens. Suddenly he felt tired. _Does this kid know how awfully stuffy it is there with a lot of people? And what if they’d reeeally get stranded there when the winter storms arrived? _Even now, the amount of snow falling was already something to be alarmed about. Roland was having a field day clearing up their residence perimeter.

Mokuba held onto his arm. “Come on, bro. _Please? Pleeeeasssee?! _This can be my Christmas gift this year! It would be the best holiday sleepover ever!!!”

_Oh shit, no, not those puppy eyes again._

“Moku—”

_Ping! Ping!_

Seto squinted at the mail notification on his holo-screens. Mokuba let go of his brother’s arm and gasped lightly when he saw the sender. “It’s Atem, bro!”

“I can see that,” Seto scoffed. He pulled in back his chair closer to his desk to read the email. He flicked his wrist to enlarge it, and instantly regretted the fact that he had to open it in front of his younger brother when he saw the onslaught of emojis in the first line.

_ [21:40 Atem Mutou:] _

\\(ᗒᗨᗕ)/ Kaiba_~! (*^.^*)_

_ Are you coming to the party on the 24th? I have yet to return the favor of cooking you food—and that duel I promised as well. We have been very busy as of late at work after all._

_ You’re not backing out, are you, Kaiba? (_ _人_ _´_ _∀_ _｀_ _) _

Seto could see his younger brother’s wide Cheshire grin at the corner of his eye. He flicked the message closed without replying to it.

“Sooo, bro~ Aren’t you gonna reply to that?”

“Shut up, Mokuba.”

“Looks like Atem promised you a duel after all~”

“None of your business.”

“You know, if you’re too particular about the small party space—and you won’t accompany me, I can always suggest to them to do it _here at home _instead. We have lots of guest rooms for them to—”

“No, you may not—”

“So, you’d rather go there with me then?” Mokuba grinned up to him cheekily.

_Damn it._ He really did not want to leave the house at this point. Not even the allure of traveling abroad appealed to Seto at all this year. He was just exhausted from all the work he had done for his company and his passion for games, he just basically wanted to jettison himself back up to his multi-billion space station to enjoy some much-needed solitude…

As if Mokuba would keep quiet about that though. The beta would _hate_ him and he might even face the coming Christmas and new year with a huge case of younger brother tantrums.

It was making his head hurt.

Maybe a gathering at his manor sounded a tad bit better than getting a grumpy younger brother or getting squished in that tiny gameshop with the dweeb squad. Seto crossed his arms with a scoff. “I’ll think about it.”

The beta saw it as a win and punched the air happily. “Alriighhhttttttt~”

“Ugh, go to bed, Mokuba.”

***

In the end, Seto had no choice but to agree to Mokuba’s suggestion of using their place as the party venue. But at a _price_, of course.

It left a sour taste in Seto’s mouth that he had to bow down to his younger brother’s antics—but he honestly didn’t want to go to the dweeb hidey-hole in such a holiday. No siree.

At least since they would be stepping inside _his turf,_ he would have a hold on them should they decide to misbehave.

And seeing the dweeb squad’s shocked, awkward faces once they had arrived on his foyer was enough of a fodder for his pride. _Suck it, nerds. _

“Welcome, guys!” Seto saw Mokuba happily greeting Yugi and the rest of the company through his cctv. He saw Atem, Tea, who came home just in time for the holidays, Joey and Mai, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, and Grandpa Solomon.

Mokuba even invited the two Hawkins, with the thought of reuniting the two old men to catch up as well. Seto would have vetoed that proposition, but he couldn’t because he had struck a deal with his younger brother. He let Mokuba do all the ‘hospitality’ and ‘socializing’ stuff for the party; since he never was good that at anyway. And that included finalizing the guest list.

“Keep it less than ten people,” Seto had told him.

Mokuba complained. “No! That’s not enough! I need to invite Becca, too!”

“Fine. Just don’t invite Pegasus!”

“How about Ziegfried?”

“That asshole’s in Paris. Don’t do it, or I’ll cancel this damn party.”

“Mmmmkaayyyy.”

_Well, at least they’re making a small effort of being sophisticated enough to bring food,_ the alpha observed, zooming on his holo-screens and noticing the huge bags that some of the dweeb squad brought. Mokuba made sure to tell everyone they could contribute food and drink if they wanted to—even if it was very easy for them to sponsor the food alone.

Taking off his plain, disposable black apron, Seto motioned to his immaculate dining area to double check their preparations. He had kept himself busy in the kitchen since the morning; and since he usually gave Roland time off during the holidays for his own family, Seto was left alone to conjure up a nice, detailed menu for this party.

_As if I’d let these dweebs downplay the skills of Seto Kaiba in planning—even if it is a stupid party!_

Half of the long table was for different viands and meals—all being kept constantly warm inside insulated stainless steel containers: pasta, fried _karaage* _and expensive seafood_, _some various stews; a couple containers for finger food like chips and nachos and numerous dips (that Mokuba insisted); and a dessert and liquor bar. Seto had to watch his younger brother in aghast as he had bought a freezer like those in shops for them to put their numerous ice cream and popsicle choices for people to freely grab from. What an idea.

“You know we won’t be using this thing after the party, Mokuba. We are not an ice-cream store.”

“We can always use this for next year! Or maybe a beach party too!”

“Why don’t you use our gigantic freezer instead?”

“I can donate them to Yugi’s or Duke’s shops you know~”

“You just wasted perfectly good money.”

Mokuba stuck his tongue at him. “It’s my salary, bro!”

“Fine. Suit yourself.”

Seto knew how to cook at least for Mokuba and himself, but he had never prepared anything large enough for more than ten people. _Hah, as if I’d slave for this dweeb squad. _The alpha had everything planned and had called in a high-class catering service to make food for them.

Frankly, he could have made the catering service personnel stay and serve them during the party, however, Mokuba was against it. “This should be an intimate party for family and friends only, Seto! I’m sure we can serve ourselves!”

The kid’s got a point, nonetheless.

Well, so much for being too nitpicky about details on the food. Those nerds would be on them like rabid dog—

“Kaiba!”

Seto spun around at the sound of that familiar voice.

Atem had appeared at the dining room entrance with tupperware boxes tacked up in both hands that went up to his chin. He was alone.

And he was smiling that bright smile that made his alpha preen subconsciously again. It made the omega’s magenta eyes crinkle around the corners.

“By Ra, you really pulled out all the stops at this party, Kaiba,” Atem looked around the food preparations, amazed. “I suddenly feel lacking with the food I had brought—”

“Those dweebs didn’t even come here to help,” the alpha scoffed, but he strode over to Atem to pluck the wares off his hands. The omega simply chuckled, “They were all too surprised by this arrangement—no one was paying attention once they’ve dropped their bags on your extravagant lounge. They’re really impressed, Kaiba.”

Kaiba merely grunted as he proceeded to open the boxes and tip the contents into some empty stainless containers he had waiting. His eyebrows raised when he saw one of them contained a very familiar dish—and he wetted his lips unconsciously at it. They were still warm.

“Are these…filet mignon?”

Atem hummed positively beside him as he helped him take out the rest of the food. Seto gritted his teeth at the proximity.

“Mokuba said you fancy that kind of steak, so I tried making them,” the pharaoh stated proudly. Kaiba stared at him incredulously. _I’m going to chew out Mokuba for this—_

“—t’s quite challenging, getting the perfect beef cuts and cooking them in the best way possible,” the omega continued. “I think I failed a few times, but it was fun! I promised you that I will cook for you after all and I like cooking nowadays during my free time! Hm? Are you all right, Kaiba?”

Seto shook himself out of his reverie—and hoped that his face did not heat up so much. He could just give himself an internal slap for spacing out at that. “That should keep them warm until later. Give me those—I’ll chuck them straight to the washers.”

“I’ll come with you! I cannot leave you to do all this work alone! Mokuba told me Roland is out for the holidays.”

The alpha groaned. One more, and he’d put a muzzle on Mokuba.

He led Atem towards his expansive kitchen and pulled open one of his automatic dishwashers, letting the omega put their containers in to be cleaned. “I never knew you can have such a huge appliance for simply washing dishes,” Atem commented. Seto kicked the door closed.

“What, you think I’d be staining these hands with such a chore?” scoffed the alpha.

Atem rolled his eyes fondly. “Of course not. Come on, we should go to the lounge. Yugi and the others must have already started the program.”

“A program? And I thought you’re just here to eat and be noisy.”

“You are so miserable, Kaiba. You must learn to enjoy sometimes.” He poked his arm playfully. Seto felt his jaw tighten uncomfortably. “Whatever.”

But he let the omega lead the way towards the congregation.

_I am so going to regret this,_ Seto thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will be more prideship progress next chapter!  
*karaage - Japanese fried chicken


	11. The Chaos of the Chase Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A celebratory LONG chapter to mark my fourth month working from home.   
Thanks for the support as always! We're definitely getting into the good parts!

“Welcome, guys!”

“Whoa!”

“This is your _house?!”_

“More like, a mansion!”

“Damn, knowing Kaiba’s riches—”

“Tone your voice down, Joey—”

“It’s really toasty in here!”

“The entrance hallway is carpeted? Should we take off our shoes?”

“Thank you for having us, Mokuba,” Tea had greeted after hugging the smaller Kaiba. “We weren’t expecting you to actually offer your place for the party.”

“Yeah, thanks a lot,” Yugi supplied. “You saved us a lot of hassle this time.”

Mokuba grinned. “I wouldn’t miss another Christmas without friends, so I had to make a deal with big bro! Come in, come in!”

“We brought food, Mokuba—where can I help put them?” Atem piped up, as they followed the beta leading them away from the foyer towards the expansive receiving area. The group broke into awed cries once they saw the decorated lounge.

Mokuba pointed to a branching hallway to the right of a huge Christmas tree that reached up to the incredibly high ceiling. “The dining room and kitchens should be straight ahead, Atem. Sure you don’t need help with those?”

Atem shook his head, stacking the food-filled tupperwares properly. “They’re light enough, and Yugi needs to help you with the program, does he not? I will be fine. Plus everyone looks so busy and distracted with your place!”

“Of course, you guys should be impressed! I spearheaded the décor!” The beta cracked a knowing grin and added in a small voice, “Don’t worry, Seto’s there in the kitchen with the food preparations. He can get yours fixed up.” And before Atem could react, the beta had pushed him towards the direction proferred.

Atem was quite ecstatic about this party. When Yugi had announced the news, he was almost jumping for joy. To actually spend a holiday with the Kaibas was definitely something to remember and to be excited about. Of course, it did not escape the fact that their squad was mightily suspicious of Seto agreeing, but Atem could only feel insurmountable happiness of spending more time with the alpha CEO outside of work.

They weren’t able to continue their promised duel due to the onslaught of work, and Atem was a keen enough observer to know when Seto was too exhausted to function. He had known that his hopes of making the alpha agree to their gameshop party were dwindling—but the moment Mokuba got into the picture and offered their house as a substitute venue, Atem could only thank the gods for this luck—and his spirits were an all-time high the week before the holidays arrived—

So much so he shouldered the team’s food contribution; because he wanted to [impress] the alpha CEO somewhat—and asking Mokuba about Seto’s preferred food choices was no difficult feat. The beta was actually quite helpful the whole time and even suggested him recipes. Although, Atem realized, that the alpha CEO’s food tastes were not that easy to achieve.

But the pharaoh did it. He even sent Mokuba and Roland discreet samples before the party so he could have them taste-tested (_This is amazing, Atem! Bro will love this! _Mokuba had approved). He did spend quite an amount of money on those good-quality steaks; plus, this was a once a year opportunity after all.

_If this could count as a courting gift, I would probably have passing marks, _Atem giggled to himself as he walked towards the dining area. The hall was a little bit of a walk, but he had reached the said area with his food intact.

The first thing he saw was the tall, black-clad form of Seto hunched over a row of what Atem assumed were plated food of many kinds. The place smelled amazing. Did he prepare all this for them?

“Kaiba!”

The alpha turned to face him, surprise etched on his pale face. He must had not heard him enter.

“By Ra, you really pulled out all the stops at this party, Kaiba,” Atem supplied as he walked closer to him, surveying the impressive food displays he passed. The alpha shot him a bewildered look before glaring at the containers he had been holding. “Those dweebs didn’t even come here to help.”

“They were all too surprised by this arrangement—no one was paying attention once they’ve dropped their bags on your extravagant lounge. They’re really impressed, you know.”

Despite the combined food aromas, Atem could single out the slight preening of Seto’s alpha scent in the air. Of course, he should be delighted. He and Mokuba painstakingly did all these preparations!

“Are these…filet mignon?”

“Uhuhm!” Atem smiled as he helped Kaiba replate the food he had brought. _He recognized it immediately! _He saw the alpha’s eyes soften a little and take a curious sniff at it.

“It’s quite challenging, getting the perfect beef cuts and cooking them in the best way possible—”

Atem did not miss how the alpha wet his lips a little as he stared at the savory steaks.

_This is really his favorite food! _The omega gloated.

“That should keep them warm until later. Give me those—I’ll chuck them straight to the washers.”

“I’ll come with you! I cannot leave you to do all this work alone! Mokuba told me Roland is out for the holidays.”

Seto only groaned and gave a noncommittal jerk of the head as he led him away from the dining area to the spacious, gleaming kitchen a couple feet away. He motioned over to a huge device just beside their spotless stove.

“I never knew you can have such a huge appliance for simply washing dishes,”

“What, you think I’d be staining these hands with such a chore?”

Atem chortled. _But that would be a sight to see indeed. Complete with apron and gloves!_

“Come on, we should go to the lounge. Yugi and the others must have already started the program.”

“A program? And I thought you’re just here to eat and be noisy.”

“You are so miserable, Kaiba. You must learn to enjoy sometimes.” He poked his arm playfully. The alpha retaliated with an irritated scowl.

“Whatever. I’m only here to watch.”

“Oh really? And here I was hoping to duel you tonight, Kaiba.”

He caught the taller man’s eyes glint down at him.

_This would be a fine night indeed, _Atem thought happily to himself as they walked together back to the gathering.

***

Seto could feel the encroaching [social] exhaustion upon him as midnight neared. Inasmuch as he tried to avoid getting roped in on Mokuba and Yugi’s [almost endless] parlour games—the alpha had to bite his cheek and comply. After all, his pride and ego were at stake here—mostly challenged by one pharaoh Atem—and surprisingly also by a really irritating mutt called Joey.

“You tellin’ me you backin’ out, Kaiba? Are you a joke? Can’t even play a simple children’s game—” A cackle. “What’chu say for a bet? Kaiba backing out after two turns?”

(So, he busted Wheeler’s ass off at Twister. Seto had to thank his genes for his endlessly long legs.)

“That duel was a draw! Shall we have another one?”

(_A draw? With the pharaoh?_ _Despicable._ But he allowed himself another duel anyway—even though he lost in the end.)

“We need one more player—Kaiba! Come join us!”

(Seto’s snarl was powerless against Tea. He was roped in on a stupid relay race—but at least he got to fight against Atem’s team—and won.)

It was the most joyous—if not, the _noisiest_—his household had ever become. Seto was loathe to admit it; but as he cradled the cocktail Duke Devlin had mixed for everyone (_Wow, Kaiba, you even have an open bar?! Allow me to show you my mixing skills!),_ he figured these rare occasions were _not_ _that _bad. After all, he got to see how happy and vibrant his younger brother was. He would want him to continue to smile like that even more and for it to be forever etched in his memory.

The food was vigorously wolfed down—earning delight and awe from the guests. Even though the alpha CEO frowned on those dweebs staining his immaculate counters and tables, Seto was proud that his planning left everyone speechless.

“You have good tastes, young Kaiba. This is quite the party you have,” Solomon had hastily patted his lower back in approval (since he couldn’t reach his shoulder). Seto stiffened at the familiarity and closeness from the older man he had once bullied. Grandpa Solomon did not bat an eyelash at such a rare compliment, and merely proceeded to chat with Hawkins afterwards. Seto caught Yugi’s impressed smile after that though, and he gritted his teeth—hoping that his inner alpha did not preen too much at being praised like that.

“O.M.G. Is that ice cream?! A whole FREEZER OF IT!”

“Damn, the salsa for these nachos is super good!”

“Atem! Your steaks look so good plated like this! It’s like from a fancy catering service!”

_ Pfft. This IS from a fancy catering service,_ Seto leered. Though, he was careful enough to sneak out a hefty portion of the steaks Atem had brought before the others sank their teeth in it. After all, those were his favourite food—and he cursed himself for forgetting to include that in his menu since he thought that these dweebs would not have the tastebuds for such meals.

Imagine his surprise earlier, though, when the pharaoh had brought the said food to the party. Because it was _his _favourite.

_You never fail to surprise me, pharaoh._

“How is it?” Atem had sidled up beside him during their dinner, cradling his own plate with him, piled high with finger foods. Unlike the others who were sitting and chatting loudly on scattered small tables in the huge dining area, Seto had isolated himself near the serving counters, leaning luxuriously on them as he took bites off his steak and watched people react to his food. He was not expecting the omega pharaoh to corner him there, though.

“Palatable,” the brunet simply replied, but he was already on his second plate. Something at the back of his mind nagged at him that the omega had been watching him the whole time. Atem instead shot him a wide grin—a hint of his happy omegan pheromones seeping out like a tease. “I’m pleased to know you like it, Kaiba.”

Seto could only blankly stare and try not to choke—he was definitely at a loss for words the moment he smelled that familiar sweet fragrance. He only nodded absentmindedly as he took another bite. He was not really good at making small talk after all. The gears inside his brain were turning rapidly, trying to gather any decent topic for them to dampen the increasing dead air.

He was just about to bring up the topic—of the smaller man’s outfit (yes he was that desparate!) to quell the silence. The omega was wearing a soft, cream colored woolen sweater quite similar to the one the alpha CEO saw when he had last visited the gameshop—although this time, it fully covered his shoulders with a thick folded collar—and reached only to his hip. It looked so comfy and definitely softened his features.

Unfortunately for him though, Atem did not linger too long beside him and proceeded to flit from table to table like a king attending to his subjects at a ball. _Quite a fitting description,_ the alpha thought sullenly to himself as he went back to eating. _He even beat Mokuba at it._

Speaking of his brother, at least Mokuba initiated in helping their guests aftwerwards in bringing their plates to their allotted “for washing” corner in the kitchens—which was basically an automatic carousel that passed through a newly-installed boxed hole beside their enormous fridge. Tristan actually first thought that it was an incineration chute.

“Don’t worry, we have automatic cleaners that tackle them. It’s just basically one big basin to contain and wash all our utensils,” the beta had explained. “I designed it myself, so we can fully enjoy our time together! Oh! And just so you know, we can bring food to the lounge, okay!”

The alpha CEO could only roll his eyes on the side and made sure to recalibrate his cleaning machines on standby. Like Roland, the maids were out for the holidays—and only the Kaiba security detail remained. There would be no one to clean up properly after them. His incredibly clever roombas would have to make sure his immaculate floors were siphoned off of dirt and leftovers. As for his tables though, he’d just have to throw away those soiled covers once everyone had finished and retired for the night.

_Hah! Blasted chores, _the alpha grumbled. It’s not like he did not learn to do any chores before being adopted—he was perfectly capable, thank you very much. He just was not expecting to be doing it for the dweebs—

“Mokuba! Where can we put our dessert cups?”

“Oh! Just go straight to the kitchens and—"

Seto had to be proud at his younger brother for thinking of a solution to the impending chore of dishwashing. The alpha could not let those nerds catch him washing their dishes after all. And he wouldn’t let Mokuba do that either.

_ He’s just growing cleverer every day. _

~~~

Seto scanned the lounge.

After the bountiful dinner, and a couple more games led this time by the ladies, everyone was beginning to simmer down and to have little cliques of their own: Tristan and Joey were belting it out in karaoke on one side; Tea, Serenity and Rebecca were catching up stories on their lives while playing Old Maid; and Duke was teaching Atem and Mokuba how to mix drinks (they had wheeled in the open bar from the dining area into the lounge for easier access).

“You’re not allowed to drink yet, Mokuba!” Seto had hissed at his beta sibling.

Mokuba stuck out his tongue at him. “I know, big bro, gimme a break, I just wanna learn! As if I’d get drunk!”

“Don’t worry, Kaiba. I’ll watch over him,” Atem called out warmly to the older alpha with a smile. His cheeks were flushed pink from all the cocktails he had been tasting. Seto squinted his eyes at that—but the pharaoh did not seem to be drunk just yet. Probably a little tipsy? Though, he was laughing and giggling _quite a lot_ at Duke’s bottle-spinning tricks and it was beginning to lit up Seto’s skin _on fire—_

“A dollar for your thoughts?”

Seto almost flinched at the sudden sound of Mai’s voice. He shot her a sideways glance of acknowledgement before taking a sip from his glass. “Isn’t your song already next in their lineup?”

Mai grinned and swirled her own liquor glass absentmindedly as she sat down on a vacant armchair. “I’m sure Joey can sing my part for me. Figured Yugi needed a little help with the elderly to bed.”

“Who won?”

“Hawkins, surprisingly,” the blonde omega shook her head fondly. “I never thought I’d witness such a lame drinking competition between old men.” She paused from taking a sip from her glass when Seto turned to scowl at her at that admonition. “It’s fine—nobody puked on your carpets, Seto Kaiba. They’re both safe and sleeping in one of your guest rooms.”

“Good.” The alpha scoffed. “Or I’ll make them clean on Christmas Eve.”

The blonde laughed. “You say that to those super high-tech roombas you have all around. They’re even climbing your walls!”

“They should be. I invented them.” 

“Hey, ladies! I got us some hot chocolate and coffee!”

Both of them turned and saw Yugi appear again in the lounge and settled himself with the ladies’ clique, carrying a tray of steaming mugs. Mai nodded at his direction. “Ain’t he just the sweetest? No wonder he took a while. I almost thought he fell asleep with his grandpa.”

“At this hour? College students don’t sleep,” Kaiba snorted.

The blonde chortled. For a while, they watched them get into a deep chat—laughing and joking and being extremely lively. Seto saw Tea give Yugi a kiss on the cheek—making the smaller alpha blush up to his ears. He scoffed lightly, choosing to look at a different direction.

_ I almost forgot I’ll be subjected to a couple’s PDA in this party. _

As he took another sip from his glass, Kaiba checked in on the karaoke boys. Joey was still singing off-key. Tristan was flipping through the thick book of songs while singing along with the former—as equally tone-deaf.

_ How come they’re still not tired? Has it not been more than an hour already? And how come his girlfriend is here and not with him? _Seto eyed the blonde lady to his side slightly suspiciously. Of all people to bother in the party, she chose him! He was never that close to her—or so he thought.

The only times Kaiba had managed to interact with Valentine was through his KC tournaments. The blonde omega’s definitely making a name in the card game industry—but right now, in this party, she was making Seto curious. Mai was not doing anything to annoy him, though, and was simply browsing on her phone on the adjacent armchair in their area.

They both simply drank in silence.

_ Sigh._

_ This is getting boring. _

His blue eyes strayed back to the open bar with the three bartender-wannabees. Atem was fully flushed now—his tanned skin looking even deeper under the lights, but he seemed to still have his wits about him—if him downing another tiny glass of colorful cocktail seemed to be any proof.

“This tastes good, Mokuba! I like how sweet this is!”

“Right?! Duke is great at teaching!”

“Nah, you both have a talent for this!” And he nudged at Atem’s shoulder playfully.

Seto started tapping, annoyed, on his thigh.

“You can always try courting him, you know.”

The background noise and the karaoke music seemed to disappear at that split-second moment. The brunet’s head swiveled furiously to the side towards Valentine who was probing him with those sharp heavily-lidded eyes.

“What?”

Mai crossed her legs. “Don’t play coy, Kaiba. You know who I’m talking about.” She nodded over to the open bar where Atem was having his turn with a shaker. “I know you like to play the bored host watching your guests behave; but you’re quite predictable.”

Seto took a disgruntled sip. “On what grounds, precisely?”

“I know you’ve been sneaking looks on Atem the whole night. It’s not really rocket science.”

The alpha bristled and proceeded to drain his whole glass. He wrinkled his nose at the burning feeling in his throat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mai let out a hearty guffaw. “Is that a denial? Sounds more like a confirmation to me. Even your alpha scent seems to be agreeing.”

“It’s not—”

Atem had heard Mai’s laugh and looked over to them for a bit. He shot the alpha a cheeky tipsy grin—and then shook a glass he was making drinks with up at Kaiba.

“Aaaand he’s even flirting,” snickered Mai with a voice laced with venom and teasing. “Maybe you can have him top you up? You seem to be in the mood for another glass.”

Seto scowled at her and crossed his arms. His chest did feel a little hot after that. There’s no way he would follow her suggestion and ask Atem for a refill. Nope.

“I’m fine.”

Mai shook her head fondly, but she proceeded to stand up—taking her half-finished glass with her. “There’s no harm in getting in touch with your feelings, you know. I can basically feel your possessive little alpha thoughts within a whole meter radius.”

“I’m not—”

“Deny all you want, Kaiba. You can’t lie through an omega’s sensitive nose. Especially mine,” Mai winked and waved her phone at him. “Anyway, the girls are planning to turn in for the night soon. I’m going to go get Joey off the mic for you. And Devlin, too. You look like you’re suffering too much.”

Seto only scowled deeper at that.

“Oh yeah, just so you know,” the blond omega paused. “Atem’s a lightweight. He’s most probably drunk out of his wits by now. It’s not that noticeable, ‘cause he’s being hyper like that—but that’s just how he is. Don’t wait until he plonks onto the floor like a sack of bricks.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Kaiba spat.

“I dunno? Unless you’d rather have Duke carry him to bed then by all means—” Mai leered at him before sauntering over to Joey and Tristan, flipping her hair back haughtily.

Seto gaped at her for a few seconds, speechless. He would be lying if he did not feel bothered by her words at all. _What the fuck?_

“Kaiba!”

The alpha blinked and turned to Yugi who had approached him. “We are going to retire for the night, so we can resume our gift exchanges early tomorrow Christmas morning,” the smaller alpha told him. “I’ll—uh—guide the ladies upstairs first—do you need help down here so I can—”

Seto held up a hand. “Go on. I can wrap up here.”

“Ah—I need to tell Atem—”

“Just go, I’ll tell Mokuba to finish up,” Kaiba stood up from his seat with his empty liquor glass. The three young men at the drinks bar were still cooped up in their jokes and loud cackling to notice the people around them leaving.

“Thanks, Kaiba,” Yugi nodded gratefully at him as he went over to his omega. Seto caught Tea’s smile at him as she waited for her bondmate near the hallway towards the staircase. She mouthed him a ‘thank you’ as well. The alpha CEO could only grunt in acknowledgment and he began to saunter towards the open bar.

_ Maybe he should remind Yugi not to do anything _funny _tonight. They’re sharing a room, aren’t they? _Seto bit the inside of his cheek. _I shouldn’t be thinking about these things._

The alpha took a deep breath._ Now…how to break up these idiots from my liquor bar,_ he scrunched down his eyebrows. _Screw it. I’ll just crow at Devlin to fuck off—_

The alpha was about to call out Duke when the familiar piercing voice of Mai cut him off. “Hey, Duke! Come help Tristan here with the karaoke system you brought! We’re going to bed soon!”

Devlin stiffened and blinked a few times—he was holding a newly-mixed cocktail courtesy of Mokuba and he was torn on whether he should chug it first or go over to where Mai was. “UH—ah—wait—”

Seto watched bemused as Duke fumbled with the glass for a few seconds before downing it in one gulp, scrunching his face at the taste—earning a loud cackle from Mokuba and a slurred giggle from Atem. “Ayt—wait—I’ll be back—” Duke choked as he half-jogged away from the bar.

“Don’t bother,” Seto stepped in, plucking the bottle that Mokuba was still holding. “You all should go to bed.”

“Awww. We’re still having fun, bro!” Mokuba pouted—but he kept blinking—and Seto knew he was already getting drowsy. “No.”

A glass was thrusted into Seto’s hands. “Then you should drink this one, Kaiba~” Atem interjected with another giggle. “Duke was supposed to have this next!”

“Are you two listening? Everybody else is turning in for the night,” Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned to his younger brother. “Your eyes easily get red, Mokuba. Go to bed already.”

Mokuba was about to retort, but he saw Duke being pulled by Mai away from getting back at them—(_Yo! Good night you three!)_ and he slowly put two and two together. “Fine! I’ll show the others to their rooms, then.” He looked over to Atem who was fiddling with another bottle of liquor. He had an idea. “Do you wanna come with, Atem? Imma show the others to their bedrooms.”

If there was bewilderment in Seto’s face, he did his best in hiding it.

“Oh? Uh—“ he cocked his head at the question waaay too slowly to be normal. He seemed to be considering the matter—but his magenta eyes landed instead on the untouched glass he had given the alpha. “Why… are you not drinking it yet, Kaiba?”

_ He is definitely drunk, _both brothers thought.

Seto put down the glass that Atem had forced into his hand earlier. “Everyone else is going to sleep, pharaoh. Just continue to drink again tomorrow.”

“But I put in thirteen different ingreedients there! That would be a waste!”

Mokuba chose that moment to saunter away from the bar, hastily whispering to his older brother, “G’nyt, bro! I’ll leave Atem to you!”

“Moku—”

“You must drink this, Kaiba!”

“No—”

Atem whined and pouted, resolutely pushing the glass onto Kaiba’s hand. “I insist!”

Seto inwardly groaned. “If I drink this, will you go to sleep?”

The omega tilted his head up in defiance. “Hm…I’ll think about it!”

“That’s it. You’re going upstairs with the others—”

The pharaoh scowled. “—No, I don’t want to go yet—”

“Look, everybody else has retired for the night—even Yugi,” Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. “They plan to wake up early tomorrow for your gift exchanging or whatever.”

Atem paused at the mention of his _aibou_’s name. He squinted his eyes up at Kaiba suspiciously.

_ What is wrong with him, _Seto thought flabbergastedly.

“It’s Christmas tomorrow, pharaoh, you better get some sleep if you want to join the dweebs for gift exch—”

“My friends are not dweebs!” the omega crowed out at him, crossing his arms.

_ Looks like he is somehow conscious when it’s about his geek squad,_ the alpha rolled his eyes. With a couple swipes from his techno-gauntlet, Seto activated his roombas and proceeded to wheel out the liquor bar out of the lounge. “Go upstairs already, Atem.”

“Wher’ you going?”

“I am going to clean up your mess, just go the hell to sleep.”

“I’m coming wit—”

“No.”

“You cannot stop me,” Atem said and proceeded to follow Kaiba—but he almost tripped at a nearby footstool and doubled over—only managing to hold out his hand onto a nearby cabinet to balance himself. The sound of the rather loud scuffle did not escape the alpha’s ears. 

“Oh my—” Atem grunted.

Seto paused at the hallway connecting towards the dining area. “You’re already tipsy, pharaoh. You can’t even walk properly. Sit down and behave. I’ll come back for—”

“No.” Another scuffle. The omega once again almost tripped on a nearby potted plant in the carpeted hallway. “I apologize, plant sir—"

_ Blasted idiot,_ Seto gritted his teeth as he continued onto the dining area. He pushed the mobile bar to one corner and began raiding the tablecloths. _I’ll let him trip—until he falls onto the floor. That way he can probably sober himself—_

“What‘re you doing, Kaiba?”

“I told you to sit down and behave, pharaoh,” the alpha CEO did not look behind him as he pulled out the dirtied tablecloths, bunching them up in one arm. He would throw them straight into a hamper he had set aside beside the cleanup chute. He’s not in the mood to replace them with a drunk omega in tow. He’d have to wake up early in the morning to do it.

“Are you cleaning?? Lemme help!”

“No. Sit your ass down before you—”

_THWUMP._

“—fall.” Seto eyed amusedly at Atem crouched down on the floor. He did not fall face-first, but his foot had caught accidentally in one of the chair legs and he finally tripped and dropped hands-out onto the floor.

“Drunk out of your wits, aren’t you, pharaoh?” the brunet leered down at him.

“I can walk!” Atem slowly stood up—holding on to a nearby chair for support.

The alpha snorted. “That’s not what I was asking.” He walked closer to the omega and held out a hand. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Five. I’m tipsy, not blind, Kaiba,” Atem pouted at him.

Seto shrugged. “But you’re already woozy while moving. I’m surprised you even managed to follow me here.”

“Like I said, I can walk!”

“Yeah. You’re just stubborn. Come on. You’re going to sleep,” the alpha leered.

“I thought you need to clean up?”

“I did,” Seto made another couple motion swipes on his techno-gauntlet and the lights dimmed in the dining area. There was also a series of consecutive _whoosh_es from somewhere and Atem felt the temperature shift.

“W-What’s happening?”

“I’m chilling this room. To preserve the food. I’m not going to waste time putting them into my fridge. Now get out if you don’t want to become part of the frozen leftovers.”

“Ahn—wait—” Atem held out his palm—seemingly telling him to stop.

“You’re already dizzy, aren’t you? The world going in circles?”

Atem merely scrunched down his eyes. “…”

“Do you need to be carried?” Seto deadpanned.

“I can walk—” the omega breathed out stubbornly.

“Then come on, pharaoh,” Seto sighed. “This room will be down to 4 degrees in seconds.”

“Nnn…”

_I seriously don’t know what he wants to do, _Kaiba scowled. _I don’t want to babysit a drunk duelist. _He began pulling Atem away by the arm. Bad move that was. The moment the omega dragged another step in his direction, he suddenly blew chunks out straight onto Seto’s leg and onto the carpeted hallway floor.

***

Mokuba rubbed his eyes sleepily as he finished showing Tristan and Duke their rooms. “I can’t believe it’s actually difficult to be a host for a party in your own house,” he said to himself.

“You did well, Mokuba, thank you,” a voice quipped behind him.

Mokuba turned around, mildly surprised. “Yugi? I thought you’re already with Tea.”

The alpha smiled at him. “I told Tea I’d be with her shortly. Thought I’d check up on you.” He looked around the rather deserted upstairs hallway. “Have Atem and Kaiba gone up yet?”

“Uh—I haven’t heard them go up,” Mokuba answered. “Bro’s supposed to clean up the dining area first—I dunno if Atem tagged along—he seemed pretty keen on pushing Seto’s buttons earlier.”

Yugi chuckled lightly. “Well, you know how Atem is when he gets tipsy.”

“Big bro’s in it for the worse,” the beta snorted, remembering those gaming weekends they did with cans of beer and cheap convenience store wine. “Atem did drink a lot tonight—but I’m sure Seto will take care of him.”

“I’m sure he will—and with that in mind—” Yugi held up a duffel bag. “These are Atem’s stuff. Do you have any idea where his room will be?”

Mokuba took it from Yugi’s hands, a weird glint shining in his rather tired eyes. “Leave it to me!”

***

Seto was too shocked to react.

He just let Atem puke his guts out as he held onto his arm for dear life.

He watched horrified as his designer shoes and pants got soaked in multicoloured liquid and unidentified mass from the pharaoh’s stomach for a good two minutes. The encroaching stench had managed to wake him up from his shocked stupor—and using his free hand, he shakily brought up commands for any of the nearby roombas to come over. Pronto.

_Fucking glad I had disinfectants and cleaners installed on these things,_ Seto gritted his teeth as he stood stiff like a statue beside the still-suffering omega. His arm was becoming numb from Atem’s deathly grip. He was sure those nails would leave their mark on his pale skin (Why, oh, why did he pull his sleeves up to his elbows?). _I’m replacing these bloody carpets. And these pants. And shoes. Ten thousand dollars down the drain. Fuck it._

There were four or five roombas that had swiftly responded to Kaiba’s call, and by that time, Atem was now only heaving air—his eyes were tear-stricken from the exhaustion. He was also leaning heavily on Kaiba—gripping his arm close, letting out stifled whimpers.

Once the alpha had seen that his machines had cleaned up majority of the disgusting mess—Seto swept the omega up onto his arms. Inasmuch as he’d like to haul him like a sack up his shoulders, he’d rather not put pressure on the other’s stomach and induce another vomiting session. The roombas might had siphoned and disinfected both of their (now damp) legs and feet, but Seto wouldn’t risk spreading more puke around if he had dragged the pharaoh to walk with him.

Oh, and he definitely needed to throw out those roombas who sucked out the puke. Nope. Not gonna let them roam around the house any longer.

“Kaiba—I’m sor—”

“Shut up, I’m getting you cleaned up,” Seto cut him off savagely, as he skipped the stairs three at the time—careful not to squelch his shoes too hard on the carpet. _I need a fucking soak._ They were both sharing the same awful stench now.

Seto walked briskly towards the direction of his quarters. Heck, he couldn’t risk entering the guest rooms suddenly, for he had no idea which ones were already occupied.

Thankfully, his room had the option to be voice-activated. He couldn’t type in his door codes with a pharaoh in his arms now, could he? Once the alpha was inside, he sauntered swiftly into his expansive bathroom—laid the omega pharaoh (carefully) on the edge of his bathtub (which was actually a small pool) and proceeded to give out commands to his gauntlet to fill it up with scented, disinfecting bathwater.

Atem could only blink blearily down onto his lap—wetting his drying lips and swallowing every now and then. He still looked a bit sick.

This did not go unnoticed by Kaiba and immediately rummaged through his vanity cupboards—fishing out a bottled water, some pills, and a new pack of toothbrush from his stocks.

“Drink up,” Seto handed the water to the pharaoh. “Once the tub’s filled, go freshen yourself.”

Atem weakly nodded. “I’m sorry, Kaiba—”

“Drink your water.”

“—I had to trouble you—"

“Tsk. Talk to me once you’ve at least gargled,” the alpha huffed, fiddling with his cabinets and pulling out bathrobes and towels and putting them on a rack near the huge tub.

“Uhm—I—” Atem gripped the hem of his sweater, trying to piece words. Vomiting made him feel a little less dizzy, but the queasy feeling was still there. “Kaiba—"

“I’ll be back in ten minutes. Don’t drown yourself in there.”

And with that, Kaiba left him alone in the spacious bathroom without another word. There was a soft _ping_ from somewhere, and Atem looked to his side to see the huge tub (pool?) already filled with lavender-scented water and foam.

“If only I could ask you to not leave me alone,” Atem whispered morosely to himself. 

***

Seto stomped quickly out of the bathroom—carrying his own set of towels and change of clothes.

Despite the cloying scent of puke on them both, there was _that_ encroaching whiff of omega pheromones coming out of Atem again. And it took more of his sheer willpower to _not _lose his head while being inside that bathroom alone with the pharaoh. _Why did he have to look so weak and gullible—_

He could smell those pheromones calling out for help—and Seto—he—

_I wanted to take care of him—godsdamnit!_

He called in his AI and scanned any vacant guest room he could use to freshen up. He couldn’t really barge in on Mokuba’s room now, could he? There was only one unoccupied guest room left—Seto assumed it was supposed to be Atem’s. Mokuba had everything accounted for, after all. He jogged quickly down the staircase to the guest wing and almost bumped into his younger brother who was about to go up. 

“Big bro!”

“Mokuba—”

The beta scrunched his nose up at him. “Seto—wha—?”

“Don’t ask. Get out of the way. I need to use the shower.”

“But your room’s upstairs?”

“The pharaoh’s in there—”

“EH? Why would he be there—”

“I smell like VOMIT, Mokuba. Ask all you want, later. Or better yet, TOMORROW.” And the alpha basically jumped off the last couple of steps to the side, avoiding his younger brother.

Mokuba was left standing dumbfounded at the staircase landing. It took him a few more seconds staring into the empty hallway before he burst out laughing. He turned on his techno-watch and ordered the roomba he had assigned to look for Seto downstairs to come back. He was supposed to have the gadget deliver Atem’s stuff to his brother; so that Seto would give the duffel bag to the omega personally, but it seemed that there was a different turn of events.

An _interesting _turn of events.

“Well, I’ll leave it to you, big bro,” Mokuba stifled a huge yawn. “Yugi would lose his head over this.”

***

Atem had stripped and slowly lowered himself into the pool.

A mixture of guilt, sick, and nervousness swirled inside of him as he let himself be engulfed by the fragrant lukewarm water. It somehow made him more sober, but he then realized how exhausted he was. The whole time he felt like he needed to heave out his whole guts. Atem swore not to touch another liquor after this.

Reaching out a rather shaky arm, the omega shifted over to the numerous bottles with crystal stoppers at the edge of the pool.

_Is this soap? Hair products?_ Atem could only inspect the bottles half-heartedly. There must be more than ten different products here. Not including the ones on the vanity on the other side of the huge bathroom. Impressive as they came, he was a little hesitant on touching the alpha’s toiletries.

_Will simply soaking wash away the sick?...I must scrub myself…just to be sure._

Those decanter-looking shampoo crystal containers looked nice, though…

Kaiba did tell him to clean up properly.

_ This is so embarrassing,_ Atem sighed to himself as he randomly picked a bottle and opened it. He had humiliated himself in front of the most viable alpha in his life. Even more in his own house! He could not even look directly up at Kaiba during his half-drunk state while he fussed about him earlier. He had carried him instead of forcing him to walk! And now he’s even using his own personal bathroom!

It feels unusual to be attended to by Seto Kaiba himself. The alpha sounded irate—well who would want to take care of a lightweight drunk? Who puked on the host of the house?

This was definitely the most mortifying point of his [new] life. If Mahaad and Mana were with him right now, they would definitely not live it down. Quite the dishonor for a pharaoh!

_ This smells like his perfume…_Atem thought, smiling slightly as he lathered the expensive-looking fluid onto his hair.

He must clean himself up properly in order to appease Kaiba at least. No sick-smelling drunk in the house. No, sir.

But the heat and the comfort of the water around him were making him remarkably drowsy. Maybe he could lengthen the time of his soak to help dampen the traces of puke. Yes, that would be better…

Atem relaxed himself in the pool as he leaned on one of the more comfortable edges. There was a slightly hollowed recess along the wall low enough for him. It was cold as well—just the right temperature to contrast the heat of the water on his body fro the neck down.

It shouldn’t take too long…

Atem proceeded to close his eyes.

***

Seto closed the door to the guest room, wiping the tips of his wet hair with a small towel. He had spent quite a while in the shower, taking time to scrub off the vomit smell off himself until he was satisfied.

The alpha was not able to use his daily shower gels, but he had to make do with what was provided in the guest room. He might have missed his nightly routines this time, but he couldn’t really barge in on his bathroom with the omega still in it now, could he?

The hallway was empty and Seto could only hear hushed voices from neighboring rooms. It’s already past midnight. He hoped Mokuba had already gone to bed.

Seto arrived in his bedroom with an odd guest at the front door. There was a roomba waiting for him, a small duffel bag sitting atop its smooth flat surface. A note was attached to it, written in a familiar scrawl: _These are Atem’s belongings. Be a good bro for me and pass this on, won’t you, Seto?_

The alpha CEO rolled his eyes and took the bag with him inside. A bit too late, though, he thought. The pharaoh should be done washing himself up at this time—probably wearing one of his unused plain white pajamas—

Seto stopped in his tracks and looked around. The lights were still dimmed. His bed was untouched. His divan empty. There was no drunk, sleeping lump on any part of his wide carpeted floors.

_Ah, fuck._

_The bathroom._

Gritting his teeth irritably, he ran towards it and hurriedly rapped on the door.

“Pharaoh! Are you done?”

Silence.

“If you let yourself drown in there I’m not going back to the afterlife to pull you back—hey! Answer me!”

Nope.

“I’m forcing myself in—you better be finished there already—"

Nada.

“Tch,” Seto swiped in commands in his techno-gauntlet and opened his bathroom door. Thick steam clouds escaped from the opening as the alpha stomped his way through.

The towels and clothes he had left Atem were unmoved from the rack he put them on. The bubbles and foam had long since dissipated from the pool and through the dispersing steam Seto saw the pharaoh fast asleep, his head mounted on the cold bar along the wall. The omega seemed unperturbed by the water slowly inching up to his chin. If Seto arrived far later, Atem would have definitely gone down from his perch.

_Fucking father Christmas at least he didn’t drown—_

Shaking his head, Seto slipped from his clothes, left his boxers on, and got into the pool. With two quick strides, he sidled up to Atem and shook his shoulders. “Oi. Pharaoh. Wake up.”

A whimper was all he heard, and he lolled his head to the side, seemingly burrowing deeper into the realm of dreams.

_For fuck’s sake. _

Thankfully, his pool maintained the temperature of the bathwater so the omega wouldn’t be at risk of a cold—but it wouldn’t prevent him from getting all shriveled up from the long soak. Seto once again pulled him up into his arms, grimacing at the wetness and stepped out of the pool. Supporting the pharaoh with one hand at the edge, he reached over to the towels and proceeded to dry him, grumbling all the while and trying his best not to glance at the omega’s nether regions.

_We’re both men, how is this so different? _Seto hissed to himself. He grabbed one of the fluffy bathrobes and wrapped it quickly around the omega.

“Nn..”

The alpha stiffened as Atem tossed a little in his hold, his eyelids fluttering somewhat. Seto bit his tongue and tried to rouse the omega again.

“Hey. Are you awake? Pharaoh?”

It was like the slowest few seconds of his life, but Atem did open his eyes. He looked remarkably exhausted—only managing a half-lidded curious stare. He scrunched his face for a moment before swallowing dryly—

“Ah—no—no, no, no. You’re not vomiting on me again—”

Atem shook his head weakly. He leaned his head onto Seto’s chest, managing a whisper: “Wa..ter…”

The alpha exhaled heavily through his nose in relief and lifted the omega up to his arms again. Atem did not try to fight his grip, but instead burrowed his head cosily into the crook of his neck.

Seto bit his tongue to reign himself as he felt the omega’s slow breaths on his throat. They reached his bed and Seto placed the pharaoh on the covers with slight difficulty. He seemed to not want to let go of him.

“Stay here. I’m getting your water,” Seto thrust him a couple of pillows in annoyance, and with how muddled Atem was, he could only stare at the softness like a confused puppy. But the alpha’s familiar scent was on them—and quickly, the pharaoh latched on to the numerous pillows, burying his face in them in a pathetic whine.

Seto gaped at him for a few seconds, shook his head, and went back inside the bathroom. He put back on his clothes and took the water bottles and pain killers he had left earlier.

When he came back, Atem was already softly snoring.

“So much for demanding water,” Seto said unimpressed. He put the items on one of the bedside tables and pulled the blanket over the slumbering omega. Rubbing his face tiredly, he proceeded to leave the room. For once in his life he would be sleeping in a spare bedroom of his own house. Great.

Seto turned his doorknob and pushed.

It did not budge.

He tried again.

_What?_

The alpha typed on his techno-gauntlet to open his door. _System overridden._

_What the fuck?_

“Activate voice control. Open the door.”

There was no response. No click of the lock. Seto tried the knob again.

“Open. The. Damn. Door.”

Zilch.

_Fuck._

He just wanted to get some sleep.

“Mokuba. I’m going to kick your ass.”


	12. Cornered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back~ I hope this update brings you joy this spoopy season <3

Seto sat on the divan, feeling at a loss.

All solutions he could think of at the time were hopeless. He thought to jump down from the third floor just to sneak into the next floor landing and find a spare guest room; but even his windows were locked shut. He could not go out into his veranda. Breaking the glass would be futile, for they could stop a sniper rifle from miles away.

He tried fiddling with his program once again. For some reason it still wouldn’t budge. Seto Kaiba ditched his techno-gauntlet angrily onto the carpeted floor. He had no choice but to stay the night with an omega in his bedroom. With _the _omega that plagued his mind for months, might he add.

Popping more suppressants into his mouth, Seto decided to lie down. The divan was a little short on his legs, but what could he do? Even if there was still a huge space in his emperor bed for him to lounge on, he’d rather play it safe and avoid any more…_accidents _with Atem_. _

Snatching a few pillows from the bed and a spare comforter from his closets, Seto squeezed himself onto the divan, propping his feet up on the slightly raised end. The alpha had sent Mokuba an angry email—telling him to fix tomorrow’s breakfast and leftovers himself—for he would be sleeping off the stress he gave him by locking him inside his bedroom with Atem.

Mokuba only replied, “Sure thing, bro ((( ←～（o ｀▽´ )oΨ ~ Have a good night!”

_This is not a good night, _Seto groused and proceeded to close his tired eyes.

***

Atem felt fucking horrible.

In the middle of his sleep, he woke up to his stomach churning, head hurting, and bladder fit to bursting. He opened his eyes in a pained squint and saw a faint light in the distance. Was that the bathroom? He could smell the familiar scent of Kaiba’s bath products…

The omega dragged himself out of bed, barely conscious and aware of how he had managed to get under the covers—or the fact that he was only wearing a bathrobe. He walked rather crouched, clutching his stomach. His throat felt dry, and his mouth tasted horrible. He relieved himself first, but after a few moments, the nausea, coupled with the surmounting headaches, caused him to heave out whatever that’s left inside his guts again.

Clutching the sides of the toilet with difficulty, Atem puked some more—but it was mostly bile. His eyes scrunched with new tears as he wiped his mouth and tried to calm himself. He suddenly lacked the energy to get back to bed. Should he just lie down in front the toilet—clutching the porcelain like a pathetic drunk? The floor seemed comfortable enough…maybe he’d be fine here—

“…You done?” The rather sleepy voice of Seto Kaiba called behind him. Atem could only squint towards his direction, but his head was pounding so hard to even muster the energy to answer. _How long had he been watching him?_

A water bottle and two pills were suddenly thrust into his hands. “Drink up. You need it,” the alpha said, hovering above him with crossed arms, eyes narrowed from the lack of sleep.

His voice was laced with the familiar alpha commanding tone—obliging Atem to follow his words with what sheer will he had left. He popped the pills into his mouth and drank the water in large gulps. By Ra was he so thirsty. He had drained the bottle quickly.

“Come on,” Kaiba motioned to help him up after flushing the toilet for him. Atem let himself be led again slowly towards the bed. The alpha’s chest felt so warm beside him as he held him up gingerly. He sat on the edge of the mattress, blinking hard a few more times to settle himself from the ongoing dizziness he was feeling.

“You good?”

Atem blinked hard a few times—he clutched his temple with a trembling hand before managing to give a tiny nod.

“It’ll get worse in the morning. Trust me. Just go back to sleep, pharaoh,” the alpha said curtly as he turned to walk back to the direction of his divan.

The omega instinctively reached out to take hold of the hem of Kaiba’s shirt, forcing him to stop in his tracks.

“Stay…with me…please,” Atem managed to croak out.

He heard Kaiba ‘tsk’ and saw him pinch the bridge of his nose. “I’m here in the room, aren’t I? Just lie down and close your eyes.”

Atem shook his head stubbornly, tugging at his top insistently. A soft whine escaped his lips as he swayed on the spot. His head was still pounding, and his omega wanted nothing more but a warm comforting presence to keep him sane and safe. And Kaiba provided it for him—well—with what he could smell from him anyways. His alpha scent was all over the place—and his mind and body were going haywire with being exposed to it.

The alpha seemed to fight with himself and his thoughts for a few more seconds before he sighed with finality and nudged his knee at the shorter man, forcing him to scoot onto the middle of the bed. “Fine. Just until you fall asleep. Don’t get stubborn, pharaoh,” Seto grumbled as he took a seat on the edge of the mattress, crossing his arms.

_ He agreed! _His omega bubbled with comfort and security at the alpha’s presence near him. Atem shifted in the middle of the bed and shuffled the pillows around them both. Satisfied with the arrangement, Atem curled into a ball just inches scant from Kaiba’s legs, not letting go of the hem of his shirt. With a shuddering sigh, he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him once more. 

***

It was only barely over an hour of lying down when Seto Kaiba awoke to a familiar retching sound.

Groaning, he gingerly sat up and looked over to the direction of the toilet. Atem had manage to get there without help. _He can take care of himself. _Seto dropped back down and tried closing his eyes, pulling the blanket higher up to his chin. He only managed a few seconds of ignoring Atem until the stench of suffering omega pheromones prevented him from going back to sleep. He opened his eyes again. It bothered him so much.

“Don’t spill all over my tiles, pharaoh,” Seto muttered lowly as he dragged his ass off the divan. Making sure to grab the bottled water and pills from the nightstand, the alpha walked over to the sprawled pharaoh in front of his porcelain throne.

“Drink up. You need it.”

Thankfully, he need not force his alpha commanding voice too much to make him drink the painkillers properly. Gods, the omega looked pitiful. For sure he couldn’t stand up on his own, much less get his sorry pharaoh butt back to the bed.

“Come on.”

Atem leaned onto him heavily as he guided him out of the bathroom. Wasn’t this great? Playing babysitter to a hungover pharaoh, king of games? If his deceased adoptive father could see him right now, he would tell him how pathetic he looked.

Seto dumped the pharaoh unceremoniously back on the bed and turned away to the direction of his divan. He really wanted to go back to sleep right now. But Atem suddenly pulled at the hem of his shirt, not allowing him to leave. “Stay…with…me…please.”

The omega looked up to him in those droopy, miserable magenta eyes, and Seto felt his restraints slipping with his exhaustion and the onslaught of omega pheromones. He was damn _weak_ against it.

_I can just pull away now—_

_ No, his distressed scent is gonna bother me the whole night—_

In the end, he sighed and turned back at the pharaoh. “Fine. Just until you fall asleep. Don’t get stubborn, pharaoh,” and he begrudgingly nudged at him to make space [away from him], despite the huge bed. He sat apprehensively at the edge, watching the omega from the corner of his eye. Atem still had not let go of his shirt as he settled himself on the covers. Great.

How long was he supposed to sit like this? He hoped Atem would fall back asleep quickly. The hairs on his arms were standing up in attention at the close proximity with the omega. He loathed to admit it, but his heart was thumping a couple of beats too faster than what he usually deemed normal.

Seto gave it five minutes.

And then, he tried nudging himself out of the omega’s grip on his shirt. Atem whined and tightened his grip again, inching closer to him as he did so—resting his cheek against Kaiba’s thigh. The alpha groaned. He couldn’t risk him waking up.

But damn, was he so tired and sleepy.

Maybe he could close his eyes just a little bit? Lie down a couple of feet away? For sure he could wake up in ten minutes to get back to his divan right? He used to do those power naps a lot.

Seto looked at the sleeping omega on his leg.

His eyes felt so dry and tired.

_Just five minutes will do. _

Yeah. He could do it.

Seto had lain down and closed his eyes.

***

At some point in his sleep, Seto felt ridiculously warm.

And heavy. But somehow cosy.

There was something constricting his torso—like a python engulfing him in its grip. He couldn’t lift his right arm either. _What’s…going on?_

Seto painfully opened his eyes with a groan—and the first thing he saw was a tuft of something red—and yellow—and it was tickling his chin. He thought he must be dreaming and he proceeded to close his eyes once more until he felt the tuft _move._

Then something entangled itself on his leg.

A breath on his throat.

A whimper on his chest.

And then he smelled it. That _scent._

Seto Kaiba stiffened and suddenly became wide awake. He opened his eyes in alarm.

Looking down, he saw the pharaoh sprawled comfortably over his chest, bathrobe well slipping off his tan shoulders and one of his legs hooked over him—caging him completely in his embrace.

For a moment, Seto panicked—flashes of vague lewd memories of his dream from weeks ago floated in his mind’s eye and he quickly checked his legs if he was still fully clothed. Seeing his linen pants, the alpha sighed in relief. Okay, he was not hard either, but he still needed to address the situation he was in.

The alpha rubbed his face frustratedly with his free hand. What happened to that ten-minute nap he was supposed to wake up from? This was definitely unlike him. Was he just exhausted? Or did the pharaoh’s sneaky pheromones got the better of him and made him a tad bit _too _comfortable to the point he fell into deep slumber? 

Plus, he seemed to have moved into the middle part of the bed—since he noticed both of his feet were no longer dangling off the edge of the mattress. The blankets were rumpled haphazardly around them, as well as the numerous pillows. Thankfully, nothing scandalous had happened—but—wasn’t this position already outrageous?

Seto gulped. He tried to move an inch, but Atem was a deadweight above him—and his leg was nicely placed dangerously above his groin, too. _Fuck. _The alpha remembered stories of omegan mornings—which were rare mornings of omegan need and vulnerability, apart from heats. _Peak pheromones to greet you in the morning when you wake up_.

It would not be easy for him to flee, if ever he really was going to be stuck in one such morning today. Considering the cloying amount of pheromones Kaiba could detect in his bed alone, Atem was already a bomb waiting to go off once he would have woken up.

_Oh, for sure, _Seto groaned inwardly. _His scent’s already taking over my room._

How the fuck was he supposed to escape from this predicament? 

Should he wait it out? Wait until Atem would wake up? Or until Mokuba came knocking on his door, freeing him from his prison and _catching him and Atem in such a position?_ No. _Damn it. _

Kaiba craned his neck to check the time on his bedside clock and his eyes widened. It was only half-past five in the morning.

_What the fuck?_ He thought he had slept in! Seto felt he had slumbered for a long time! Was it the fatigue? Was this also because of Atem and his overbearing pheromones? The alpha had no certain answers…He could only make assumptions.

Apart from being curious and flabbergasted, he was somehow amazed at the situation. Usually when he had less hours of sleep, he would either need more time to force himself out of bed or he would become cranky. Or both. He was not supposed to feel alert and somewhat well-rested in one go! Such cases were rare with him.

Seto sighed. His phone was meters away from him, as well as his techno-gauntlet. He had nowhere to divert his attention in trying to wait for the omega to wake up. Well…he could definitely shove him aside and let the hangover take care of the pharaoh, but something at the back of his head was telling him otherwise.

And that…well…he was kinda feeling warm and comfortable to even move right now. Especially when the omega above him smelled so _enticing_— 

Seto bit the inside of his cheek. He should be ashamed to even think of such things—he was Seto Kaiba for goodness’ sake! He should not have time for such trifling thoughts and _feelings_—

“Nnm…”

Alarmed blue orbs flitted down to see the pharaoh nuzzle him and bury deeper into his chest, taking a deep breath as he did so. The bathrobe slipped ever lower as he moved his arm to hug him more—sending a surge of heat across Seto’s face. The alpha took a deep breath to calm himself.

Seto looked around his room. The sun had not even risen yet from what he could glean through the gaps of his curtains. The place was eerily silent, save for their slow, cadenced breathing.

Gods, how long was this going to be?

Seto looked down on the omega stuck to his chest.

Atem looked so peaceful in his sleep. He looked as if he were not drunk and shitfaced the night before. His mouth was slightly gaping—but not in a ridiculous way. Seto would have thought it cute if he wasn’t so pissed at the current arrangement. He was certain that the pharaoh had long drooled on him and he could have taken photos of his saliva-soaked shirt for blackmail, too.

_How can you sleep so deeply knowing you’re distressing me, pharaoh? _

As if in answer to quell his troubled thoughts, Atem tightened his hold on him and nuzzled upwards his throat, resting his nose at the junction of his adam’s apple. A huge draft of his fragrant scent washed over Seto and he almost rolled his eyes backwards at the onslaught of sweet, sweet pheromones.

Godsdamn did it fill him up like drink.

Of all the weeks that he had gone through being scent-deprived following that fateful gala, Seto felt like he was in cloud nine right now. His pride was in shambles admitting that very fact—but his instincts were telling him differently. His alpha was…for the lack of better term…_perfectly content _with Atem in his arms right now.

_Might as well wait this out…Like I have a bloody choice._

He decided to distract himself with the omega in his arms.

Seto noticed the distinct softness of the pharaoh’s ludicrous hair. He had always assumed that they would be stiff and harsh from whatever product he had been using for them, but alas, he was proven wrong. The alpha could actually try and bury himself within the tuft and he wouldn’t feel too ticklish or scratchy.

_He used my shampoo,_ Seto smirked to himself, allowing himself to curiously nuzzle at it a little bit. _And you just had to choose the most expensive product out of them all, huh, pharaoh?_

“Hnnm..”

Kaiba pulled back a little and glanced back down at the omega once more. Atem began to twitch and whimper—clutching at him even tighter. The alpha figured he was having a nightmare. Should he wake him up?

“Pharaoh,” Seto called lowly. Atem continued to jerk and to twitch, his eyebrows scrounched down in worry and—was that fear? The scent from him had also soured—alarming Seto. The alpha reached out his left arm and lightly shook the omega’s shoulder. Maybe he could also try moving his other arm to nudge him too. “Atem. You’re having a nightmare. Wake up.”

His touch had seemed to do the trick—for Atem gave out a tiny gasp and proceeded to burrow into him even more—shifting his position so that he was fully on top of Kaiba—freeing his numb right arm below him in the process.

_Great. Now our groins are on top of each other, _Seto groaned.

But at least Atem was starting to calm down again. His face though, was almost close to Seto’s at this point. His lips could actually touch the omega’s forehead if he were to move even just slightly.

“Mmn…Kaiba…” Atem murmured.

_Is he still dreaming?_

Seto stiffened at that—he could feel the pharaoh’s warm breath on his jaw—his soft lips touching his skin at intervals. Rapid were his heartbeats at that point—and he could just visualize himself right now: rigid like a board—a driftwood left out to dry in the searing sun—his arms splayed helplessly on either side. He felt tragic. Almost crucified.

But his instincts called out to soothe the omega in his slumber. And it was becoming difficult for him to ignore the whole matter. Seto hesitantly closed one arm over the pharaoh’s back, patting him awkwardly—hoping to get him to stop his fearful whines.

He went on like that for a couple more minutes, until he was already stroking Atem’s back with both hands. The alpha felt the omega relax in his ministrations, and his scent went back to normal—if not—even sweeter. And Seto realized how warm he was feeling.

Once the whines had stopped, Seto closed his eyes, feeling drowsy again. _You’re such a bother, you know that, Atem?_

Nonetheless, he left his arms wrapped around the omega and drifted off once again to sleep.

***

“Good morning and happy Christmas, Mokuba!”

“Happy Christmas to you, too, Yugi!” Mokuba greeted back as he rearranged the last of the gifts underneath the huge tree. “You’re pretty early.” He glanced at the clock over the mantelpiece that showed half-past six in the morning.

Yugi chuckled, lightly rubbing his eyes. “I should be saying the same thing to you, Mokuba.”

Mokuba chortled. “Well, I gotta help reheat the leftovers for breakfast, you see. Grandpa Solomon is already in the dining area with Mister Hawkins for coffee.”

“You could have asked us for help, you know.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I volunteered since Seto went to bed late.”

“Oh, did he? That must be tough cleaning up from last night. He declined my help too when I offered.”

“He’s just like that,” Mokuba grinned as he accompanied Yugi to the kitchens. “Once he’s set his mind on doing something, he dislikes getting help from others.”

“Even chores?”

Mokuba chortled. “Yes, even chores. We split the responsibilities for this party~”

“He loves you a lot, Mokuba,” Yugi smiled.

_Not only me,_ thought Mokuba. 

***

Atem felt like his head was being split open.

Like a hammer pounding nonstop onto his skull.

He groaned onto the warm pillow he was hugging—hoping against hope that the pain being drilled into his head would somehow go away. But it wouldn’t. He whined pathetically.

_Gods…please…let me go back to paradise…_

_ Just let me slumber in peace…_

“…m…ke…up..”

Atem heard a muffled voice above him. Was someone calling him? His head throbbed, and he only groaned some more and buried himself deeper onto the pillow he was hugging—the pillow which rumbled and lifted up and down in time with his breathing—

Weird.

It was so warm and comfortable, though. He’d rather stay here the whole day and never wake up. But by the gods, his head was pounding so hard…

And then he felt something cold touch his temple. His eyebrows scrounched down at the disturbance and he tried to move away from the foreign object touching him.

“—tem…wake up.”

“Hngh.”

The cold thing poked him again.

_No. Leave me alone._

“Hey, pharaoh.”

“Hnnn,” Atem moaned. “Head…hurts…”

“It’ll hurt more if you don’t get up.”

Another cold nudge. This time, at his cheek. The omega squiggled deeply onto the pillow more. What was that? It felt…wet…

“_Atem._”

His omega perked uncertainly at the sound of a familiar alpha tone. Slowly, Atem opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a well-built chest peeking through a loosely tied linen top. Smelled good too.

_ Wait…was this not a pillow—? _

The pharaoh jerked back in surprise and pulled himself up—making his head spin painfully. But it did not blur out the sight lying in front of him:

Seto Kaiba lay amongst the pillows below him between his legs—holding a water bottle and sporting a lackadaisical expression on his pale face. His hair was tousled from sleep, sticking up in all sorts of directions. For a moment Atem considered it cute until he realized the situation he was in.

_Kaiba’s with me! In bed!_

But his head throbbed again before he could cry his name out in shock and surprise, and he doubled over, squinting in pain—back onto the alpha’s chest.

“That’s a hangover for you,” Kaiba sighed and tapped the bottle on his cheek again. 

“K-Kaiba—I—I’m—“ Atem stuttered. The alpha merely snorted and pushed the bottle up at him. Atem gingerly held it between his palms.

“Scoot over. My bladder’s going to burst.”

Atem shuffled clumsily to the side, blushing profusely. Their legs brushed as the alpha slid away from the bed. “The painkillers are here on the bedside table,” Kaiba stifled a yawn as he walked towards his bathroom.

Once the door closed, Atem buried his face into a nearby pillow and whined in embarrassment and pain from his headaches. _Why? Why has this happened? _He couldn’t remember how he got into bed!

_ Wait…Did Kaiba take me to bed? _Atem felt the heat rush up to his face. He could only remember closing his eyes during the bath—and everything afterwards felt like a dream—a blur. He opened the bottle and took a sip. His head was pounding. He felt more awful now that he was awake. _I am not going to drink again!_

Atem closed his eyes and tried once more to remember the events that had transpired after he took that long soak. _Nope._ He groaned in disappointment after few moments. He had really blanked out! _These are the times I would greatly appreciate the help of the Millenium Key…_

As he reached out for the painkillers, Atem saw the alpha walk out of the toilet—patting his cheek with a face towel. He passed by the bed without a glance and picked up his techno-gauntlet from the carpeted floor. _What the hell happened last night?_

“I know what you’re thinking,” Seto said suddenly. Atem almost choked on his water. “I can smell your anxiety.” A bluish light emanated from his techno-gauntlet and the alpha typed for a few seconds before flicking his wrist to end the program.

Atem looked at him warily from his perch on the bed, hugging the pillow for comfort. His face was heating up from embarrassment and shame.

“I had a—” the alpha considered his words before continuing. “—technological _problem_ last night.” He tilted his chin up and continued patting his wet cheek, avoiding the omega’s gaze. “I got locked in here. With you.”

_Ah!_ Atem realized. _So that’s why…_He glanced at the huge bed. Well…there was enough space for the both of them. Enough to spread comfortably without touching the other, but Atem remembered how much of a clingy sleeper he was—considering his two huge pillows back home. He must had rolled over to the alpha unknowingly during their slumber.

“Don’t worry. Nothing bad happened,” Seto said. “It’s my fault for falling asleep—“

“No—no—it’s okay!” Atem interjected hastily. “You—you helped me get to bed. Thank you. I—“ He fiddled with the pillow on his lap. “I tend to cling to anything that’s warm and soft when I sleep.”

Kaiba chucked off the towel and smirked at him, “I’m…soft?”

Atem blushed, “I must have mistaken you for a pillow.” He pouted. “It will not happen again.”

The alpha leered at him, “Chances of sleeping with _me_ are ultra rare.” He walked towards his walk-in closet. “Not unless you’d get drunk and puke on me and pass out again—“

“I would not!” Atem whined, burying his face on the pillow. He took a sniff before saying, “I am not drinking again.”

There was a gloating lilt in Seto’s voice as he disappeared behind the closet doors. “Yeah, sure.”

Atem took another slow sip from the water bottle. _This is so embarrassing! If aibou were to find out—_

He groaned onto the pillow again. A waft of Kaiba’s scent filled his nostrils and despite the lingering awkwardness, it helped him calm his nerves. _It’s real…he really was here with me the whole night,_ Atem thought. _He was so warm…_ Atem wished he was more conscious when it happened so he could instill every sensation—hear every breath—feel the warmth of the alpha’s skin against him—

“Yugi brought your stuff,” Seto came back, wearing a long, dark blue knit cardigan over his white linens. The sleeves were remarkably long and reached down to his palms. The techno-gauntlet was replaced for a much simpler watch similar to Mokuba’s. Atem gaped. It was such a casual look on him.

“My stuff?” stared Atem unabashedly.

Seto cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t wanna change? Everyone else’s downstairs. Feel free to meet them in a bathrobe.”

“Ah wh—“ Atem stuttered and looked down. He gave a yelp and tried to immediately scuttle out of bed. But the dizziness hammered down on him, and before he could hit the floor, Kaiba had already appeared behind him and grabbed his waist in support.

“On second thought, I think I’d prefer you drunk if I can get as many blackmail as I’d like,” Seto smirked evilly down at him. At this point, Atem was as darkly flushed as the red tips of his hair—gods be damned if Seto could read his emotions from his pheromones alone—he was far too mortified!

“L-Like I’ve said, it will not happen again,” Atem mumbled weakly, as Seto helped him stand up near the bathroom entrance. _By the gods, he’s still so warm…and he smells so good! _The alpha wordlessly handed him his duffel. “Thank you.” He took the bag without looking at Kaiba and locked himself in.

If he weren’t too busy fawning over his embarrassment, he would have heard Seto’s rather loud huff of amusement behind the glass door.


End file.
